


Trust Fall

by ZombieCyborgAssassin



Category: Captain America (Movies), Doctor Strange (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Awesome Jane Foster, BAMF Darcy Lewis, Be Careful What You Wish For, Bechdel Test Pass, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Death, Darcy Lewis is the fandom bicycle and I love it, F/M, I Don't Even Know, Infinity War (Marvel Comics), Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possibly Unrequited Love, Present Tense, SHIP DARCY LEWIS WITH ALL THE THINGS, Sexual Tension, Time Shenanigans, Tissue Warning, To Be Continued, Tony Is Not Helping, What Have I Done, historic prologue, sorta - Freeform, steve rogers is not a hero
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-04-25 08:41:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14375076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZombieCyborgAssassin/pseuds/ZombieCyborgAssassin
Summary: With the heroes fighting and split across the universe, it can only end in disaster one way or another. That is until they are forced to get along for the sake of humanity.





	1. Prologe - 14th June 1943

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Livvy_Nicklaus and Madelineyoungwrites for Beta-ing.
> 
> I have had this story in many parts floating around my brain for too long and have finally been able to put it all together. I hop you enjoy.
> 
> If you like this, or any of my other fics, please check out my profile and my website for details on my debut novel The Unwilling Odyssey.
> 
> I own nothing.

Howard had concluded the Flying Car exhibition to be a complete success. Even though the car had only remained in the air for mere seconds, just like I told him. And the reverters were damaged, just like I told him. But when I went to rub it in his stupid smug face, he was busy with two of the chorus girls, and a girl just doesn’t need to see her brother doing that kind of thing.

So, with my stained overalls, hair pinned under a scarf and a bizarre combination of being tickled pink and being completely disgusted, I went out onto the stage with the four car jacks and began the process of lifting the car off its reverters, to get the tyres on, aligned and drive it home. The stage lights were still on, but the Modern Marvels Pavilion had closed twenty minutes ago so the other lights had been dimmed and the place was quiet.

After I’d placed the jacks in their places, I began methodically lifting the car off the ground little bit at a time from each side. Circling the car a couple times I noticed a guy on the other side of the ropes in army uniform staring. I was going to give him a piece of my mind, until I noticed he wasn’t staring at me, he was staring at the car, his face pensive.

I realised instantly he must have been drafted; no man willing to fight in the glory of war wore an expression like that, or stood alone looking like a child who’s lost his mother. Nor did he look like a man who was naive to what he was going to face. The car probably represented a future he wasn’t at all confident he’d be privileged to see.

I left him be and I continued to circle the car, lifting it higher on each side by fractions of inches. That was when I heard the security guard mouthing off to the poor man.

“You can’t be here, Expos closed. You better scram before I make you scram.”

The soldier came back to himself and he was about to say something before I cut him off.

“He’s with me.” I called out.

Both men turned to stare at me stunned.

The large security man straightened up, having not seen me, probably trying to smooth over his ungentlemanly behaviour. I made my way down off stage and sidled up next to the soldier, drinking in the smart, well fitting, crisp uniform. His hat tilted over one eye, the same one that was immediately off his head. So he was handsome  _ and _ a gentleman. I grinned at him.

“Ma’am, it’s my job to secure the pavilion.” The guard said as though I were a child. Ah yes, I’m merely Howards assistant, and a little woman who probably doesn’t have any brains at all. I forgot.

“And we’re here to get Howards car back to the factory.” I turned to the soldier, only to look into a pair of bemused blue eyes that gave me instant butterflies.

“Come on, handsome.” I grabbed the soldiers arm and guided him to the edge of the stage while watching the guard walk off. Patting the edge of the stage for him to settle in, I gave him a small smile and went back to work.

I was absorbed in my work, and almost forgot he was there when he asked, “How long ‘til these are everywhere, d’you think?”

Glancing at him, I saw he was still staring at the car, so I wandered over to him and sat down next to him. I knew what I was about to say wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but I’d never lie just to give false hope.

I searched his face. “Did you see it fly?”

He finally turned to look at me and a boyish glee slipped over his face as he nodded. His excitement was entirely too charming and I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped me.

“The reverters are in fine condition and work perfectly; well they did before my idiot brother damaged them by trying to show off.” I smirked at his shocked face, shaking my head. “The technology is fine, but they require a lot of energy. The entire engine block is just one big battery. There was no malfunction; they just ran out of juice.” Looking back at the car sadly, knowing what it must mean to him, what I must be taking away. “To be able to run the reverters long enough to be able to fly anywhere reliably and get back again, we’d need a power source small enough, strong enough and reliable enough. And that technology is decades away, maybe longer.”

I didn’t want to see the soldiers face, but I had to own it. Sometimes the truth hurts and it’s better to face it than deny it. So when I turned to him and his face was full of wonder, even though he was looking at me, not the car, I was a little taken aback.

“You said ‘we,’ are you an inventor too?” The admiration in his voice was new. Most people saw a woman of science and were affronted, intimidated or sceptical. I’d run off many a man by being smart, and I’d settled into the presumption that finding a long term fella wouldn’t be something for me. I’d be like Howard and have just one-night, not just one knight.

Trying not to get my hopes up, I held my hand out and plastered a smile to my face. “Vivian Stark, inventor, sister of the snooty windbag Howard Stark and supposed smart mouthed know-it-all, at your service.” The grin that split his face was a little like watching fireworks.

He took my hand and touched his lips to my knuckles, “Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, of the one oh seventh, Ma’am, but you can call me Bucky.”

Bucky and I talked and laughed for hours as I worked on the car. He asked any question he could about the science behind this or that, what I was working on or anything I’d already worked on in the past and though I had to hedge some things that were either classified or yet to be patented, I enjoyed having the company of a man that clearly relished in the fact that I was smart. He wasn’t stupid himself, either. He was able to quickly understand the technology I was explaining, unlike some of the men my brother surrounded himself with.

When he mentioned he was headed for England the very next day, I decided that though I’d taken the flying car dream from him, I’d happily give him something else to take his mind off things.

I dug into my overall pockets and pulled out a pen and paper and wrote my name and address. I felt a bit shy and childish, but I decided that it could be worth it. I folded the paper and handed it over. He opened the paper and after seeing what was on it, looked back at me, “In case you wanted to write, but didn’t know where to send to.” I tried to say casually, but it came out like a question.

He gave me a soft smile, “This might be even better than if you gave me a flying car that never ran out of power, Doll.”

And I swear I never blushed so hard in my life. I’m a Stark for crying out loud, not much embarrasses us.

After that, he must have written a letter to me every day, and I replied to every single one of them. We got to know each other’s fears, hopes, and our fondest memories in a way that maybe wouldn’t have been possible if we were face to face; I worried if we had, I might have encouraged things to become physical before we got to that part, and been too distracted to get to know him properly.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dont worry, no spoilers here... yet. 
> 
> I suspect they will come much later, so dont worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to tweak the story a little after seeing Infinity War, but not by much. I'm uploading early because I was just so excited to share.
> 
> I own nothing.
> 
> Thanks to Madelineyoungwrites and Livvy_Nicklaus for the beta.
> 
> If you like this, check out my other fics, and my website (in my profile) for orginal content.

  
Ch1   
  
I stood beside Sif and took a deep drink from the never empty flask that Sif said had been a gift to her from Loki. That was never not going to be weird, but hey, I was in love with a zombie murder cyborg, what did I know?    
  
We both watched Jane as she gleefully threw more toilet paper over the car of the London University’s Dean of Physics’ house. The old geezer (british insults are awesome and I am totally adopting them, shut up) had mocked Jane’s research to the faculty in front of her and had the gall to suggest that they get a scientist that wouldn't lose his mind once a month. Needless to say, my new BFFS (Best Friend From Space) Sif, Jane and I, had taken things to the most mature level and toilet papered the assholes place.    
  
There I stood, arm in arm with Sif, both leaning heavily on each other, watching Jane throw another roll of toilet paper over the eaves of the man's doorstep, when gravity dropped out from under our feet and we were sucked down a sparkling hole in the ground.    
  
When our feet hit solid earth in what looked to me as a very full New York Upstate Facility common room, we watched the last toilet paper roll sail through the air and smack Thor in the face.   
  
“Jane?” He asked when he realised who was hiding under the novelty Thor Helmet. A gift that I had given to her while we had waited for his lazy ass after the second time he showed up on earth.   
  
Before Jane lifted the helmet to look at who was speaking, the pale, dark haired man who could be none other than Loki spoke. “Sif?”   
  
I felt Sif tense next to me, and I turned to watch as the asgardian warrior bared her teeth in response. It was then that I saw who else was occupying the room.    
  
In an instant, I had a handful of Jane’s flannel shirt, pulling her behind me, and then I had my fists up in defense. Sif, trained to react swiftly, took the other side of Jane and she too, stood in a fighting stance. Though she was drunk, you wouldn't be able to tell.    
  
With barely tamped rage slowly raising in my veins, I took in the group off to the left of where we stood, T’Challa the current King of Wakanda and the Secret Avengers - who had decided ditching half their team and hiding from the law was the right thing to do. They stood in a clump, guns and other weapons drawn.    
  
The right side of us was a one eyed Thor with hair like he’d lost a fight to Edward Scissorhands, a very alive Loki, some chick with white lines on her face who was drinking from one of the crystal decanters that Tony left lying around everywhere and the Hulk who had been MIA for a couple years.   
  
I was so sure that of the many people in the room, I knew I would happily maim or kill a good handful or so of them. I began humming along to Stealers Wheel in my head.   
  
Directly opposite us was Iron Man, Iron Patriot, and Vision, also with weapons drawn.    
  
“Aaa- Darcy,” came the mechanical voice of Ironman from across the large distance, that was when I realised that I’d been staring at Captain Ass-murica with probably all of my rage showing. Ah well. YOLO or whatever.    
  
“Sup, Iron Dude?” I responded with a sarcastic grin, my teeth showing. I couldn't see it, but I was certain he was rolling his eyes in the helmet.    
  
“Y’know, things. Got a few surprise visitors, glad you could drop by. Nothing like having people over for Christmas.”    
  
I snorted, losing my balance little. I was certain his irreverent way of dealing with a difficult situation was genetic.   
  
“Oh yeah, it's a good time to gather round and have a nice family get-together. If I recall correctly, don't these things usually end in a smackdown or two? ‘Cause I’m so down for that. I just don't know where I’d start.”    
  
Sif stepped in a little closer, leaning as though to speak subtly, but was loud enough to be heard by almost all the super hearing in the room.    
  
“You take the left, I’ll take the right. We’ll take the green one together, though I think he might be easier than I was assuming.”   
  
“You didn't see what he did to Thor,” Loki said with a little too much glee in his voice.   
  
“You didn't see what  _ I _ did to Thor,” I said, aiming a glare at the defenestrating douche canoe, who raised his brows at me.    
  
“You didn’t see what I did to Thor  _ and _ Loki,” said the woman standing next to them.    
  
“Yeah, and I’m sure they paid you well,” came Jane’s slurred reply, causing the room to go dead quiet. Before the Odinson brothers could pick their jaws up off the floor, the woman with them also got into a fighting stance, stumbling a little to the side in doing so. “Come here and say that to my face!”   
  
Jane sniffed and I felt my lips pick up in a smirk. I loved it when Jane got mean, it was like an angry kitten. “No thank you, I don't know where it's been.”   
  
The woman let out an angry roar, but was held back by Thor, who had been quick enough to grab her by the upper arms.   
  
Tony’s Mechanical voice filled the room, a little louder than before.   
  
“Alright, everyone settle down, there's enough tension in here as it is. We don't need to start anything that would blow a hole in the north east of the country.”   
  
I snorted. “Dude, a bunch of you already did that to Sokovia.”    
  
Tony’s arms dropped to his sides limp and he shifted on his feet. “And I’m trying to rectify it.”   
  
I made a face and deepened my voice. “I’m trying to rectify it,” I mimicked.   
  
His face plate popped up and he pointed at me. “I don't sound like that, and don't take that tone with me right now in front of company.”   
  
A voice that I knew from my nightmares and felt like nails on a chalkboard piped up from somewhere over at the Secret Avengers cluster. “Tony, you can't talk to her like that.”   
  
We both glared at him for his interference, because seriously, who was he to tell us how we should speak to each other.   
  
The formerly spangled jerk shrugged his shoulders at Tony and pointed over at me. “It's not like she's your daughter or anything.”   
  
Tony and I looked at each other, Tony raised his brows at me in question, asking if we should take our information out for all to see completely or if only just partially.   
  
I shrugged and glared at the blonde assuming asshole. “Howard Stark was a manwhore.”   
  
There, let them come to the conclusion I want them to. It's not like any of it is even any of his business.    
  
“You’re Tony’s sister?” he asked incredulous. Some of the people around him shifted a little.    
  
I shrugged at him and turned back to Tony, stumbling a little into Sif as I pointed at him aggressively.    
  
“ _ You _ should have had a Lawyer look at that contract, now anyone who your  _ commanding officer _ deems a threat, will be collected and that includes children and non-powered beings, and they can treat them in any way they deem fit, including, but not limited to, interrogation, torture, and death.”    
  
Tony grew pale, and swallowed. “I know that. I  _ know _ that,  _ now _ . I’ve been working behind the scenes, playing the game, trying to collect evidence to have Ross removed. I’m not saying I wasn’t culpable, but I found evidence that he was behind the woman showing me her son’s photo that day. They waited until we were weak and hit low and fast. I haven't found evidence yet, but I’m pretty sure there's a link between Zemo and Ross, too.”   
  
I stared at him, my eyes still narrow. He was too smart to have been played that way, but with Pepper gone at the time and the team being targeted, I could see him being manipulated like that, just long enough for the damage to be done. I gave a quick nod and went back to eyeing the groups of people around us.   
  
“I didn't find anything about an illegitimate daughter in the Shield files,” came the deep voice of the Black Widow.   
  
I raised a brow at her and held her eyes for a moment. The woman clearly had pride in her abilities as a spy. “No, you wouldn’t,” I said smugly, pulling the flask from my cleavage and taking a deep drink. I felt Sif pluck the flask from my hands as soon as I finished, my eyes never wavering from the Widow’s, through the gap of the bow and string of the Archers aimed arrow at the God of Mischief.    
  
Speaking of. “I wasn’t aware that still existed, Sif,” came Loki’s curious voice over the low hum of people whispering tactical plans to each other.    
  
“You wouldn’t,” she replied haughtily. “You were busy being crazy, then dead, then crazy again, then imprisoned, then dead again, and then impersonating your father.”    
  
I snorted at her very Midgardian way of speaking.   
  
Loki frowned. “You have spent too much time here. How long have you been here?”    
  
Sif grinned. “When in Midgard, do as the Midgardians do… I figured after coming here to tell Thor about your deceit, being stranded here after your announcement of Heimdall as traitor, I stayed and then finding out about the death of my home realm  _ on the Television _ ,” Loki and Thor winced visibly at that, missing Sifs unsteady footwork. “I decided I would join Jane and Darcy’s quest to do science and punk mortals for being bitch ass hoes,” she replied haughtily.    
  
Tony and a couple of other people in the room let out an involuntary laugh at Sif’s stone cold delivery of such a line, and I felt myself sliding a fist in her direction for her to bump with her own.    
  
That was when another group fell through a sparkly portal, clearly from space as there was a green chick, a grey dude, a chick with antenne, a dude with red glowing eyes, a… tree person? and a racoon with a gun and a little vest filled with what looked suspiciously like space explosives. Right, well I know who not to piss off today.    
  
They instantly had their weapons drawn and surveilling their surroundings.    
  
Then there was a man in a cape with equally ridiculous facial hair as Tony’s, who entered the room through a whorl of sparkles on his own and he stood in the centre of the room. He commanded the attention of all those in the room simply by standing there looking like a tool.   
  
I stepped forward leveling a look at the weirdo in the cape. “Yo, Evil Twin number 2, send us back to whence we came. I don't think North America can take the levels of hate it already has, let alone with the consequences of this room. Also, we were busy ruining the front lawn of a stuck up professor of douchebaggery and general dickishness, and we would like to get back to that extremely important task.”   
  
He gave a confused look for a moment. “Who would be Evil Twin number 1?”    
  
Before I could answer, Tony groaned from somewhere behind him and said, “She means me. I don't even have a twin.” He sounded suspiciously like he was pouting.   
  
“Not anymore you don't,” I said cheerily, as though there weren’t a temperamental situation around us. Story of my life really. “You probably ate it in the womb.”    
  
“Why am I an Evil Twin?” The caped weirdo asked.    
  
“Oh come on, you have the facial hair of every Evil Twin on every daytime soap opera, how can you not pick up on that? Nice call though, Tony Stark's hot younger sister,” came the voice of a dude in the secret avengers group. It took me a moment to recall that it was the Ant dude who was a thief that Hank Pym hired to rob his own company.    
  
“Nope, we are not friends. Don't think that just because you agree with me, that I have anything other than animosity for you Oceans Sixtynine.” I looked away feeling glee at the look of horror on his face.    
  
I heard him whisper, probably to himself. “How does  _ that _ Stark know me and why do I feel so uncomfortable about it?”   
  
“Greetings again, Doctor Weird!” Thor’s booming voice echoed through the room, bringing everyone's attentions back to the dude with the cape.    
  
“Uh, it’s Strange,” he replied.    
  
I heard someone from the Secret Avengers camp mutter, “You’re tellin’ me.”   
  
“Why, Strange, have you basically piled all the explosives into one room when there's only one outcome to this?” Tony queried.   
  
The Racoon guy looked around and leaned toward the Grey dude, “I don’t see any explosives.”    
  
The Grey dude looked from person to person, “Maybe he means their tempers, that they are all very passionate people?”   
  
“I’m afraid you’re all going to have to put your differences aside for now. I’m from the future where half the universe has been obliterated by a Mad Titan named Thanos. I’ve looked through many possible futures, pasts and outcomes and the only ones where there’s any possibility that everyone lives failed because of your inability to work together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it!   
> Let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting a day early again because I'm gonna be a day late with The Cat. The Universe needs balance, the not-Thanos kind.
> 
> I own nothing
> 
> Thanks to Livvy_Nicklaus and Madelineyoungwrites for being the most tollerant beta's and writer buddies in the known universe.
> 
> If you like this, check out my other fics and my website (in my profile) of details on my debut novel.

Ch2

 

The room was silent. Though a couple people reacted as though they’d heard the name before. In particular, Loki and the green chick.

I stared at Strange for a moment, my mind running a mile a minute trying to figure out if Jane and I were here because our secrets had gotten out at some point in the future or if he only meant to bring Sif and we were stowaways.  

“If you’re from the future, does that mean there's two of you now? What would happen if you met yourself?” 

I looked over at the Antman weirdo, trying to figure out if he was being serious or not.

“Two objects cannot exist in the same space at the same time,” was the absent response from Jane behind me. 

He cocked his head and looked from her to the Doctor. “Does that mean that the version of himself from now is in the future right now?” 

I couldn't help myself as I slapped a hand over my face.

“No, the future is unwritten, he is from one of many possibilities,” the green chick said. I liked her, she had an ability to express her  intolerance and exasperation all in one look and tone.

“Yeah, but where's the other Dr. Strange.” the Ant guy just wasn't getting it. 

“I’m with Scott, where is he?” the Archer asked, the arrow still pointing at Loki. 

“I wish to understand this too,” the Grey man said, the Antenna chick and the red eyed guy nodded too. 

“I can't believe these people are even allowed near weapons, let alone use them.” I muttered, taking the flask from Sif once she had finished her guzzling, her eyes on all the weapons and possible enemies. 

Dr Strange threw his hands up in the air, frustrated. “Can we get back to the more important part of what I said. Half the Universe is going to be obliterated by Thanos if he gets all six Infinity Stones and all with just a snap of his fingers.”

The green chick shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

“What are these Infinity Stones? Where can we find them? How can we destroy them? And how long have we got?” Tony rattled off, bringing up a holo-screen for him to work on. 

Strange gave a resigned sigh, as though he’d had this discussion before. Which, I realised, was entirely possible. “It’s not that simple, Stark. The Stones are the most powerful things in the Universe. Theoretically, the only things to destroy the Stones would be the Stones themselves.” Strange said pensively. “Even if we had all six stones and were able to harness the energies of each Stone, without it killing us all I might add, to use the stones on each other, it will leave us with one stone left. Still enough power to do the damage he needs to the whole Universe.” He sighed, “As for how long we’ve got? Eight weeks. Perhaps less, now that we have three Stones here in this room, and at least thirteen individuals who’ve had direct contact, some of which that have residual energies of those Stones.”

“Eight weeks or less!? How the hell do you think you’re going to get this ragtag group of pigheaded assholes working together in such a short amount of time? Why didn’t you go back further?” 

Tony scoffed, “If anyone's a ragtag pigheaded asshole here, Clint, its you.”

The Grey dude stepped forward pointing at Clint. "That man looks nothing like a ragged swines anus.”   
I snorted along with a good few others in the room. I watched as the green chick and the dude with the red glowing eyes, which turned out to be a helmet, pulled him back into their groups cluster, subtly shaking their heads at him. 

Sif stepped forward, looking at Loki and Thor, “How many of Asgards warriors do we have left to fight this enemy? What of the Warriors Three?” 

Neither could look at her, nor replied, and that was response enough. Sif clenched her jaw and fists, a low growl escaped her throat as she continued to watch the expressions on the two Princes faces. 

“Hey now, they did what they had to to keep their people safe. Decisions have to be made with the knowledge we have at the time. Sacrifices are sometimes necessary,” came the voice of the former Captain. The words felt like a knife between the ribs.

I didn't realise that I’d shoved Sif out of the way to throw a punch at Steve Fucking Rogers until Tony was standing in front of me with his gauntlet aimed at me. 

“C’mon, Aaa- Darcy. You don't wanna do this,” he spoke as though to a skittish horse. I glared at him. I’m not a skittish horse, I’m fucking furious. 

“Oh, I do. I  _ really _ do, Tony. Besides, you’ve already had your shot,” my eyes never moved from Steve Rogers startled face.

Tony tried to get into eyeline, but kept failing. “Yes, well, I wasn't thinking clearly, and neither are you.”

“That explains why he's still alive, and yes I am. Call it a long standing fantasy. C’mon Tony, He was built for it, and from what I hear he can go like that all day.” I clenched my jaw as someone else's voice echoed those words in my memory, and my chest clenched. 

“Not today, Miss Lewis, I’m afraid everyone here will be needed and they need to be working together if we want the whole Universe to survive.” Dr Strange stepped up next to Tony.

I looked him in the eye, and instantly I realised he knew. He knew most of it too if the look in his eye was enough to go by. I stepped back, straightening my spine and scowled at the middle distance, but stopped when I realised that I was glaring at Thor which was causing Loki to glare at me in return. Interesting.

“Nope.” I popped the P with as much force as possible. “Save the world without me. That's what Tony’s for. I don't play well with others.” 

I stepped back in front of Jane and raised my fists again, keeping her guarded. 

“I’m afraid that everyone here is needed, or we all fall,” he responded. 

I looked at him for a moment, and shrugged my shoulders, going back to watching the room. “Not my problem.” I said. If I had to be anywhere near some of these people for much longer, I don't think I’d be able to keep myself in check.

“C’mon, I’ll make you a sweet suit if you do.” Tony coaxed.

I turned my head to him and looked him right in the eyes. “Tony, I have a contingency for everything, including your interference, don't make me use it. If I have to be in this room much longer, bitches are gonna be eating fist. And that won't stop If I stay in the presence of half these people. Ever.”

Strange stepped up between Tony and I, making full eye contact.

“You need to do it for all the Lily’s that could,” he said quietly, almost kindly. 

I sucked in a deep breath through my teeth suddenly feeling light headed. What had future me told Dr Strange? No one except Tony and Sif knew that name. What had happened to get to the point of sharing that? 

I looked up from my contemplation, breathing heavy. I realised that Sif had placed a hand on my shoulder and Tony was looking worried.

“Expect possible random grievous bodily harm to come to  _ some _ members of your ragged swine anuses,” I pointed at Tony, “And I make my own suit. You have terrible taste.” 

Strange stepped back, allowing Tony to step closer. “I have amazing taste, it's practically known fact at this point. Maybe you just don't understand how taste works for you to have any idea. Y’know, a ‘you don't know what you don't know’, kind of thing.” He had inched his way closer with every word he spoke, and was now practically leaning into me. Tony had some personal contact issues, which I totally got. He’s had a bit of a mind fuck when it comes to familial affection and trust. But this was as close to hug in public he had ever gotten, and I appreciated it for what it was. 

I gave him a weak smile and went back to guarding Jane. “Or perhaps  _ you _ are the one that doesn't know what he doesn't know.” 

“Rude,” he rumbled, as he watched me sip the flask Sif had offered over.

“Must be genetic.” I mumbled. 

I looked over at Iron Patriot, his repulsors were pointed at Loki and the Winter Soldier. 

I elbowed Tony sloppily. “Hey you got the neurotransmitter calibrated for the suit. Does that mean you can design a portable one for yourself and take yourself off the front line?” I felt the hairs lift on the back of my neck as I heard the parallels of a conversation I’d had with someone else a long time ago. Although there was more broken china and yelling last time.

Tony looked at me out of the corner of his eye before retraining his eyes on the room. “That’s that plan.” He paused and shrugged his armoured shoulders, “I have too many people that matter to me to risk myself any more. I’ll stand in the Command Room or wear a Remote Neural Transmitter. With FRIDAY’s help, I could have dozens of empty suits on the front line, instead of one putting me at risk. I’ll be able to see the bigger picture that way, know where one of my suits are needed with greater clarity if I’m not in the middle of it myself. ”

I bit my lip, trying to keep my emotions steady as my Nephew took an emotional stab at the Winter Soldier. The guy probably doesn't even realise it's even a stab at him. 

Sif bent her head down into Tony’s ear, “Lady Darcy takes the Left, I’ll take the right, you go down the middle.” 

I let out a peal of laughter at Sif’s eagerness to fight. I was so with her though, so I steadied my feet and realigned my fists into the correct position. 

“Nobody's taking anything.” Strange said, his hands on his hips like an angry school teacher. 

“Not even a break?” I piped up.

“Or a bow?” Tony asked, glee filling his voice.

“What about taking my time?” I jumped in before Strange could answer.

“Take a photo?”

“Take a knee?”

“Take a Chance on Me?”

“Oh!” I turned to Tony. “Take a walk on the wild side?”

“Take a look at me now?”

“Taaaaaake Oooonnnnnnn Meeeeeeeeeeee!!!” I belted out.

“Take me on!” Tony sang along with me.

By this point Sif, Jane had joined in with Tony and I. “I’ll be goooooonee!! In a day or twwoooooo!!!” 

“ENOUGH!” Came the angered voice of Steve Rogers.

Sif and Jane jumped, looking guilty. Whereas Tony and I simply stared at him in apathy.

“Tony, I never could understand your flippant behaviour about world ending catastrophe, but now there's  _ two _ of you, and from what Strange is saying, you’re both necessary in saving the Universe. We’ve already failed to protect it causing him to return from the fut- No let me finish, Sam.” He barely turned his head to acknowledge the interruption. “You need to take this seriously if we’re going to win this fight,” he ended his little tirade with his hands on his hips and a disappointed look on his face.

I stared at his face and stature for a minute, not listening to Tony’s response, before my rage got the best of me. 

“BZZZT” Tony stopped talking at the interruption. “You’re not my Captain, never will be. I don't have to listen to you and your short sighted, single minded, ill-thought out, do-gooder bullshit that just makes everything worse for everyone else, so go take your whiny self-righteous speech somewhere else.”

“Now see here, young lady, we’ve been brought together to…” I saw red and tuned out of his words.

I stood straight and started walking toward him. 

“Lady Darcy,” Sif’s startled words barely registered. Neither did Tony’s Iron Man gauntlet on my shoulder. I felt him pumping his repulsors, trying to get me to stop, but I wasn’t slowing down in my stride. 

“Damn it, the Moxie-Buster isn't finished yet! FRIDAY I need the Hulk-Buster, ASAP! Aun… Darcy, I need you to think this through, you don’t want to do this.”

I ignored him and the shattering of tiles his boots were creating in their attempts to gain traction.

The Secret Avengers all scuttled back at Tony’s words, and Steve took a step back. “What do you mean Hulk-Buster, Tony?”

“I mean that the Hulk is the only person that has any chance of taking her right now. Maybe. Good work on pissing her off, by the way.”

I didn't want Tony to get hurt in the crossfire, so I gave off a flare of electricity to immobilise his suit. I must have over compensated, because I felt the gauntlet shatter and rain metal parts down my back, and metal items from around the room start dragging toward him and clinging to the powered down suit.

I felt a small piece of metal hit me in the jaw, and electricity tickled my skin. I continued walking toward Rogers, and pinned the Black Widow to where she stood beside the Captain and the Soldier. 

“S’that all you got, bitch?” I mocked with a smirk. I peeled the the Widow's Bite from my face and looked down at it. Just a small electrical charge, meant to incapacitate, no fancy wiring or drug cartridges. I made eye contact with her and used my electricity to charge the Bite heavily enough to take her enhanced ass down, and then flicked it at her. 

I closed the distance between Rogers and I, ignoring the pang in my chest as I observed in my periphery the Soldier who was focused on getting the now unconscious Widow down on the ground comfortably. 

The blink of an eye, I stood toe to toe with Rogers, looking up the whole head of height he had on me. I couldn't decide if I wanted to punch him or electrocute him. So I did both. 

I charged my fists. The dampners on my wrists shorted out, and fell to the ground sparking. My fists had electricity arcing between them and my body, that is until the  _ good _ Captain Rogers tried to block the hit. 

“Shit.” Tony said behind me.

I watched with a snarled lip as he went down, he was the reason I lost everything. He was the cause of it all. 

I set about taking my anger out on his prone form. Left hook, right hook, left hook, right hook. Eventually the sparking died down and I focused on just hitting the assholes stupid face. 

It wasn’t until I’d been gently lifted off him that I realised that someone had their arms wrapped around me and was trying to talk to me in soothing tones like they were calming a wild animal, though I couldn't understand their words.

I vaguely felt the hands change and I was being lifted off the ground a small distance away. My eyes never left his broken face, and my satisfaction wasn’t enough. Maybe the only way was for him to die? 

“Darcy?” Jane's quiet voice broke through my thoughts and I looked away from the crumpled Super Soldier to see my BFFE (Best Friend From Earth) looking at me with worry on her face. Who I had left partially vulnerable to the other people in the room. I then realised how dark my thoughts had gotten and heaved a deep breath.

I looked around and saw Sif and Iron Patriot being supported by the Vision all standing beside us, looking concerned. Then I registered that the person who had me was Tony, in his Hulk-Buster suit. 

When he saw that I was aware of the world around me, he gently placed me on the ground and exited the suit. He wrapped his arms around me and I turned and rested my head on his shoulder. I saw the Secret Avengers stood a little ways off from the felled Rogers, as was Team Thor, with exception of the Hulk who was giving me a thumbs up... And the Winter Soldier who was leant over Rogers checking him over. 

I sucked in a breath realising who had been speaking soothingly to me and pulling me off the Super Soldier. An illogical part of me thought that he was choosing Steve over me again and I tried to quash it, I knew it was silly, he couldn't even remember me, how could he be choosing. Also I just beat his friend to a pulp and if there was anything that Bucky Barnes did best was have Steve Rogers back. Even if he did remember, he’d be more worried about his unconscious friend than me.

“Oh my God! That chick just beat up Captain America! Does that mean she’s evil? And that guy is Bucky Barnes! Oh my God! He’s so much older and manlier than in the cartoons!” Tony and I turned and narrowed our eyes at the guy with the red eyed helmet from space, well he’d seen the cartoons, so maybe not from space originally then.

The guy looked around and waved, “Hi, I’m Starlord.” 

The grey dude and the antenna chick waved from behind him, the racoon rolled his eyes and the tree person was ignoring everyone for his handheld game. The green chick covered her face with her free hand, shaking her head minutely. 

Tony and I looked at each other with a grimace. “That happened.” Tony muttered.

I looked away from the weirdo from space and saw the Winter Soldier carefully lifting a bloodied Rogers onto a stretcher with Helen Cho checking him over. 

Scrunching my eyes closed, I felt the bile climb the back of my throat. I turned my head and tucked my face into Tony’s neck. “Can we please go?” 

It wasn't Tony who answered, it was Strange. “Yes, I think we need a small break to adjust, and for some of us to regain consciousness, before we come together to discuss plans.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Tell me in the comments because I have a need to know.


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Livvy_Nicklaus and Madelineyoungwrites for beta.
> 
> If you like this, check out my other fics and my website for updates on my upcoming debut novel The Unwilling Odyssey

Ch3

 

“This is the stupidest thing in the history of the universe.” I said slow and monotonously, breaking the long silence. The conference room was so full, we were shoulder to shoulder, but somehow Strange had silenced the whole group with his suggestion.

“Stupider than Thor dressing as a woman and marrying a man just to get his hammer back?” Everyone in the room looked at a very smug Loki, and Thor who was glaring at him with reddened cheeks. 

I glanced at Jane and she was looking at him, too, with an odd mixture of amusement and annoyance. I peered at Sif, who had a nostalgic look flick across her face, but it quickly set back into stone. I rolled my eyes at my BFFs, my attention drawn over to Tony, who just looked like he wanted to know all the details. I didn't roll my eyes farther, I feared they might fall out.

Huffing out a breath, I looked back at the good Doctor and glared. “I think you’re trying to apply a simplistic remedy to a complex problem and not taking into account the many,  _ many _ problems within the factions of this group. Making Tony do a trust fall with the Winter Soldier isn't going to change the fact that he  _ killed _ his parents with his bare hands.” 

I tried to ignore the flinches of my Nephew and my former, well technically current, Husband. I watched in my periphery as Rogers, who was covered in bandages and bruises, placed a hand on his shoulder. Of course in the end, he won. He always won. I never stood a chance. 

When “She doesnt even go here.” was whisper-shouted by the ant guy, I picked up a pencil and threw it like a dart at him, catching the hood of his sweat shirt and pinning it to the wall behind him. 

Rhodey spoke up, unphased by my behaviour and everyone’s reactions. “There’s no way that we can feasibly waste the crucial weeks to come playing camp games and weaving friendship bracelets.”

Dr Strange rolled his head on his shoulders and sighed. “It’s actually the most expedient method to building trust, surprisingly enough. Fully backed by science if you want to see?” He pointed to the laptop, spinning it around for me to see. Jane jumped at the chance to analyze some studies, but was stopped by Sif from breaking away from us. Once Sif knew Jane wasn't leaving my side, She retrieved the laptop and handed it to Jane who immediately began scanning over the pages and pages of information. 

Strange gave a minute shake of his head. “In any case, we’re not just going to be doing trust exercises. We’re also going to be doing one on one therapies and group therapies.” He wasn't able to go on as half the room raised their voice in objection to the prospect.

Strange raised his voice for the first time since his arrival. “Do any of you have any better ideas?” 

“Besides hitting everyone that we don't like?” Jane asked sweetly. I caught her giving the Valkyrie chick some serious side eye, and smirked.

“I’m with Lady Jane, can we not face our problems as we have always done? With drink and good cheer?” Thor's booming voice filled the room.

Tony raised a hand. “Former Alcoholic.”

Without blinking I raised my hand next to him. “Former Cheerholic.”

Sif and Rhodey snickered, Thor just looked confused.

Samuel Wilson leaned forward in his seat. “Thor, drinking might loosen some tongues to tell some truths, but its not a healthy way to resolve the issues that will arise when the truths are out there.” I nodded, along with everyone else.

The fact that Wilson had worked with Veterans was obvious now. It made sense why he followed the Patriotic Mess around too. Probably saw him as a hero as a kid, met him after he thawed and thought he could save him. He wasn't dead or frozen again, so he must be doing something right. Barely.

Strange gave another sigh. The kind of sigh that said  _ I’m surrounded by idiots.  _ “Can we all agree that there aren’t any better options that are backed by science and proven evidence?” 

“I’m not sharing my problems with these people.” Sif said definitively, waving her hand in the direction of the Secret Avengers and the weirdos from space, majority of the latter seemed genuinely insulted.

“What’s wrong, Sif? You’ve been here for long enough, don't you trust them?” Loki jabbed. I winced internally at that. Sif’s love for the dark god was confusing, but a dozen centuries with someone is pretty complicated.  _ Their marriage makes my marriage look like a simple little thing. Poor Sif. Note to self: never pity Sif to her face. Make her an interactive Loki-Bot for target practice instead.  _ I pulled up a holoscreen from FRIDAY and, using the basic schematics from Tony’s suit, silently requested a 3D scan of Loki and his helmet to overlay the schematics. 

“Trust is something earned over time with people, and once broken, cannot easily be repaired.” Sif did something that looked suspiciously like a hairflip, “Not something you’re familiar with I see.”

Loki’s face fell, and I covered my mouth in a poor attempt to conceal the massive grin that appeared there. When the Widow started talking, without thinking I slowly reached a fist out to Sif that she proudly bumped with her own fist. 

Earning my first scowl from Loki felt like a milestone from what Sif had mentioned. I smirked back at him, and he tried to scowl harder, but he just looked like he was pouting. Which I guess he was.

“- and then we’ll go around the room and read out someones negative experience, not giving away names, but trying to see the situation from their point of view.” I looked over, Starlord had decided he was a psychologist now. 

“Nope.” Tony popped the P as hard as he could. “Even if we don't have the person's name, we’re likely going to figure it out quickly. And both sides believe they’re justified in their actions, so the other person will never actually be affected by that high school girls sleepover BS that you’ve just pulled from your ass, Harrison Ford. Sit down and let the adults talk, please and thank you.”

There was silence. 

Then, “Tony’s right, that wouldn't work.” Wilson speaking sense again. He might have his head jammed so far up Captain Rogers serum enhanced ass, but somehow, he’s managed to keep his brain from being deluded. Good for him.

“You’re just a guy in a flight suit, what do you know about therapy?” Starlord’s defensive move was incredibly base and see through. I rolled my eyes, catching Tony rolling his at the same time, we smirked at each other. 

“Nothing much, just helped council Army Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety and Depression for years before I hitched my wagon to this crazy circus.”

“This isn't a crazy circus, I know crazy circuses.” Muttered the Robin Hood wannabe in purple.

Starlord looked shamed for a moment, before Rogers opened his mook mouth and started spouting shit he probably had no idea about, as usual. So I tuned him out, and focused on my holoscreen. Tony leaned over Rhodey, Vision and Jane’s laps and snickered at the image of a cross eyed Loki-Bot I had nearly finished rendering. 

The group had somewhat huddled into their cliques, but they had little room to separate from the others, so Sif who was on one side of our group, one empty seat away from the Scarlet Witch who couldn’t stop looking over at the Vision. On the other side of Jane, Rhodey, Vision, and I, sat Tony, who was happily shoulder to shoulder with the Hulk. 

I had missed the reunion between the Hulk and Tony, but Tony had mentioned that the Hulk didn't want Bruce to have control, that the Hulk had said Bruce was too stupid to make right decisions. Tony also mentioned that Thor had attempted to get Bruce to come out while Sif and I recovered from our hangovers, and had become a big hole in the side of the building. 

Speaking of the God of Thunder, he had some kind of eye patch, was it a King of Asgard thing to lose an eye? Did Thor have to hang upside down on a tree for 9 days? 

Loki was standing against the wall looking bored, but after many late night talks with Sif, I knew he had a cunning mind, and that he wasn't motivated by doing what was right or what was necessary. No, according to Sif, he did that which served to further him in the worlds. It didn't used to be immoral, Sif had suspected something had happened to push him to such lengths, including attempted suicide. When we told her what little Thor had told us in regard to Loki being adopted and angry about it, Sif had gotten very still and after a while had said,  _ “That may be it, but it is not all of it.” _

His new M.O meant that if you did not serve his furtherment, you could see yourself in hot water quickly. Or if endangering or killing you put him further, then you were in trouble.

“I agree with the Captain.” Tony’s words snapped me out of my morose thoughts of Loki and Sif and making the Loki-Bot look like he was constipated and back to the room. He agreed with the Captain? 

“Do you mean, Captain Crunch?” I blurted out. I hadn't heard a word that was being said, thankfully - Steve Rogers voice was like a back massage from Freddy Krueger. 

A few people gave a laugh, but I wasn't paying attention to them, I was looking at Tony, waiting for his answer.

He raised an eyebrow that said,  _ You weren't listening at all, were you.  _

I raised both back, saying,  _ What do you expect. _

He gave a huff of false indignation, and said, “The former Captain Spangles suggested that talking through our issues with one designated person only might help people better, but also keep things more structured.”

Without a second thought I grabbed Sif’s arm and began bouncing on the spot. “I pick Sif!”

“Ms Lewis, I think it might be best if we pick people from other groups, so that we might build trust across our divides.” I narrowed my eyes at the Vision.

“You decide to supply logic  _ now _ ? Where were you in the future before  Time Lord Strange decided to come back?” I accused light heartedly.

Dr Strange cleared his throat. “The Vision had been torn apart by Thanos in his pursuit of collecting the Infinity Gems.”

The room was silent again. 

I looked around the room, assessing potential therapy buddies. Nope, no one in the Space gang, I’m pretty sure they’re all nuts. No one from Team Thor because they too, are all nuts. That left Team Craptain Murica. Barton No, Lang no, Oh!

“I chose Wilson!” I said instantly. 

A few people raised their eyebrows, but no one said a thing. Wilson also raised his brows at me, I blew him a kiss. I think he blushed. If he didnt, I’m going to pretend he did. The Winter Soldier elbowed him in the ribs.

“I want the Raccoon!” said Lang. Everyone looked at him. “What? Raccoons are cute and he has a gun! Is there anything better?” 

“Two Raccoons with guns?” The antenna chick asked sweetly.

“Oh my god, yes!” He blurted out excitedly.

The Vision leaned forward, interrupting the odd conversation. “If I may, I believe we should take this day getting to know each other a little or maybe our names at the very least, Dr Strange.”

The room paused for a moment at the simple objective of the exercise.

“I am Groot.” the tree dude said after he looked up from whatever game he was playing.

Hulk slapped his chest. “Hulk Hulk. Hulk Smash.”

“ _ Groot, _ ” tree guy waved one of his twiggy arms at the Hulk.

Hulk frowned, “No, Hulk  _ Hulk _ .”

The Raccoon guy stepped forward, “Groot said that it was nice to meet you, Hulk.”

Hulk frowned at the Raccoon, then after a moment of what was almost painful thought, he pointed at him. “Hulk like Kitty.”

The Raccoon was shaking his head and hands, “My name’s Rocket.”

Hulk began clapping his massive hands, “Rocket Kitty!”

“We should all write a little bit about ourselves and then mix them up, and see if we can try to find the person whose statements we get. Then at the end we say who we got and their likes.” I looked down at Jane, who was still scanning the studies that Strange had offered as she suggested the idea. That wasn't a bad plan.

When no one objected, Strange waved his hand and we all had a pen and thick lined cardstock in hand. “Write at least three things about yourself that no one knows, Rocket, perhaps you could leave the room to help Groot so he doesn't give himself away, and Stark, perhaps you would do the same with the Hulk?”

I watched as Tony followed a gun toting raccoon, a talking tree, and a green giant out the door. 

“There’s a joke somewhere in there.” I muttered to Sif.

I looked down at my cardstock, tapping my chin with the end of my pen.

I looked around the room for inspiration and noticed Sif scribbling away on her cardstock.

I leaned over to Sif and breathed, “What have you got?”

She narrowed her eyes playfully at me, “I cannot say, it is cheating.”

I rolled my eyes, noticing in the back of my mind not only Loki’s attention on us, but the Winter Soldier’s, too. “It’s not a secret, I’m going to know its you anyway.”

She frowned, “Oh, here,” she showed me her card. 

 

_ I enjoy rocky road Iced Cream, _

_ a balanced blade singing while in battle with my enemies _

_ and sunny days on Vanaheim _

 

“Damn, that's good.” I whispered. 

I looked back down at my card, and began writing.

 

_ I like engineering and the sciences, inc the soft sciences, _

_ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass _

_ and the stars in the New Mexico desert.  _

 

I nod at my card as I fold it and hand it to Strange and finish off the schematics for the Loki-bot. 

“What are you making?” The warrioresses tone was amused.

I smirk, but don't look up, “A gift for you, something you can spar with.”

We sat making changes to the Loki-bot, that started to look more and more ridiculous, while we waited for everyone to finish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh... what will happen next?


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing.
> 
> Thanks to Livvy_Nicklaus for being the best beta boss.
> 
> If you like this, check out my other fics, and my website (see profile) and sign up for news on my upcoming debut novel.

“This is is my Shield Brother Steven’s.” Thor says, not even reading anything out from his card.

Hulk waved his card around for all to see. “Hulk has Tony!”

“Thor, we are meant to read them out and see who can guess them.” Loki’s exasperated face was the same face that Jane, Eric, Sif and I all had when referring to something Thor had done. I couldn't imagine hundreds of years of making that face, but it did make me want to punch Loki less.

Thor drew himself up. “I did guess. It was Steven’s three things. So I win.” I bit my lip, he was just so happy with himself.

“How do you know for sure?” Loki asked like he was talking to a child. I bit my lip harder, hoping not to laugh out loud at them.

Thor stabbed his finger at the card in front of him, “It says he was in a war many years ago. That is Steven.” Thor’s eyes flickered away from his brothers face. “I also recognise his penmanship.”

Loki, Sif, Jane, Tony and I all groaned in unison.

“Mine says; ‘My eyes are the green of a lush forest, my most cherished possessions are my scrolls-’”

“This is ridiculous,” Sif cut the Ant guy off with a huff. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at the table in front of her.

“What? Why?” Lang squawked.

I leaned forward passing the holoscreen over to Tony who obviously wanted to add something. I cleared my throat, drawing attention away from my BFFS who was locking herself down in every way possible, and shrugged. “Because that is obviously Loki.”

His mouth popped open. “How is that ‘obviously Loki’?”

Tony snickered as he tweaked the image on the screen in front of him.  

“Well, the way it’s written for one, plus Thor’s favourite topic was his Brother.” The Widow’s dark voice cut through the light mood like a wrecking ball. I mirrored Sif’s posture and narrowed my eyes at Rushmanoff, trying and failing to keep them from flickering to the brooding Soldier at her side.

“His favourite topic?” Loki’s voice was bewildered and a little on the winded side. I tore my eyes from the formerly red headed spy to look at the emo god. there was an element of vulnerability in his eye as he looked at Thor questioningly.

Thor shrugged his massive shoulders with a prideful grin, “You’re my brother, whether or not you like it, and I’ve always been proud of all that you do.” He paused, eyes flickering away from his gobsmacked trickster sibling. “Until recent times, that is.”

Oh, but Loki’s shame and guilt were a near physical thing even all the way from the other side of the room.

The room was quiet a moment, before the chick with the antenne, Mantis, chirped, “What happened?”

Loki nearly halved in size as he shrank in on himself and Thor’s shoulders slumped at the question. Hulk looked like he was wishing for a bowl of popcorn, and the Scarlet Witch and Vision were making some pretty impressive ‘fuck me’ eyes at each other in the midst of this very touchy moment.  
“The Battle of New York happened,” The Good Captain of Truth and fucking Justice said, with a non-ironic tone of intense disapproval.

Thor cleared his throat, “He also tried his hand at genocide and faked his death a lot, and then usurped the crown of Asgard,” I frowned at his sad labrador face and decided that I would punch Loki in the throat for both Sif _and_ Thor.  
I felt someone’s foot rubbed up against mine, tickling the inside of my ankle and I did my best not to let out a bitter laugh. I tipped my head back and stared at the panelled ceiling. “Whoever is trying to play footsie with me is about to have their toes broken,” I said lowly.

I felt the foot remove itself quickly, and I closed my eyes against the memories of the last time I’d been carefree enough to do something like that. 1943 was one hell of a year for me.

“I already know that mine is Hulks,” Barton said throwing his card onto the table, “it literally says, ‘I like to smash.' three times.”

“Wait, what do you mean by ‘Usurped the Crown of Asgard’?” Tony asked, eyes like lasers on Thor and Loki.

Loki sighed, “Our father was not a well man, and with the death of his Queen and Thor’s decision to turn away from his responsibilities as heir to the throne, I decided it was best to give my father some time to rest.”

“You bewitched him to forget himself and placed him in a midgardian home for the elderly.” Thor accused tiredly.

Tony turned and leaned in conspiratorially, “Man, I wish I’d thought of that,” he whispered not so loudly.

“You would do that to your own father?” Captain American’t accused.

“Do you ever get tired of being so judgemental?” I sneered.

He pulled his shoulders back in indignation, “Howard Stark was a good man, he deserved-”

I slammed my hand on the table, cracking it down the centre. “He deserved a far more brutal death than the Winter Soldier gave him,” I ground out through clenched teeth. “You knew him for a handful of years and maybe spent a total of a day with him during the war and somehow that makes you the expert on the man?”

“Well if the timing is as I believe it, you yourself, weren’t one to know him well either.” His eyes blazed at the confrontation, the bruises around them faded to yellow.

I stared at him, the air in my lungs frozen as my body tried to cope with the molten hatred that seethed just beneath my skin.

“Howard Stark gave me my enhancements,” I whispered into the deathly silence, “in an attempt to revive me from clinical death. He decided to play Dr Frankenstein using his own, untested, version of the Super Soldier Serum, and when it seemingly didn't work, he tried again with a new formula. and again. and again.”

“Darcy is you to the power of four ‘cause daddy dearest just wouldn't allow her to rest in peace, Steve.” Tony’s voice was soft and vicious in a way that he only got when he was talking of his father or of the Winter Soldiers murder of his mother. My eyes never left the paled face of Rogers, though in my periphery I noticed the Winter Soldier hang his head in his hands.

“Is there anyone here that doesn't have issues with their father?” Sam Wilson asked, in a weak attempt to break the tension in the room.

“I am Groot.” No longer able to stomach the face of Marketable Propaganda, I looked across the room at Groot, and watched as Rocket slowly turned to him.

“Aww Groot, you’re gonna make me blush.” He placed his hands on his admittedly adorable furry cheeks.

“My father was the kind of man that gave you strength when you needed it most.” The Grey dude, who’s name it turned out was Drax, had his chest puffed out.

Rhodey lifted his hand in the air, “My dad was alright.”

“My father, too, has been incredibly caring and nurturing.” The Vision said, eyes locked on Tony. I felt a sting in the corner of my eyes, knowing what that would mean to him. I couldn't help but think of my own father, the hard working dock man who managed to put food on the table and books in our hands, even my female ones, during the great depression.

Tony, for his part, was fidgeting, while trying and failing to clear his throat. finally, he said in a strangled voice, “Thanks, son.”

“As sweet as this is,” the green chick, known as Gamora, said, “are we not meant to be worrying about Thanos and his Armada?”

“How did you know about the Armada?” Dr Strange asked as Loki pulled his daggers out and aimed them at Gamora’s throat, causing everyone in the room to reach for their weapons.

Loki’s voice was ice cold as he said to the room, “I believe this woman is Thanos’s daughter, he spoke of her often.”

“When did you meet this Thanos, Brother?” Thor’s confused puppy face was back.

Loki’s silence was his only response, making Thor shift from foot to foot.  
Doctor Strange stepped forward, “If you don't tell them, Loki, I will do so. It is integral to this group working as a cohesive unit.”

A few pieces of information clicked together for me and I sucked in a breath at the sudden realisation.

“His eyes are green.” I whispered.

Loki, who had been sneering at Strange, pivoted on his toes and glared at me like I’d made a foul stench.

“I beg your pardon?”  
I looked to Tony. “What colour were his eyes when he tossed you out the window?”

Tony tilted his head to the side. “Bright blue.”

I looked to The Widow, “What colour were Hawkeyes eyes when he was under mind control?”

She frowned, clearly understanding the train of the conversation. “Bright blue.”

I looked over to the Valkyrie chick. “What colour are his eyes currently?”

She turned her head and considered him, “I believe Prince Loki’s eyes are dark green.”

I smirked at him as the room broke out in murmurs, and Loki suddenly looked uncomfortable and a little overwhelmed.

I felt Sif’s muscles tense next to me, but she gave no other outward indication of her feelings. I watched her watch the room for any threats, including to and from Loki, while half heartedly listening to the room.

“How did we miss that?” The Widow murmured to the Archer.

“Come to think of it, he was a completely different after he was Hulk smashed into the floor.” Was his reply.

Rogers stood up and stepped forward, looking at Loki in earnest, as he was want to do. “Why didn’t you say anything when the control broke?”

Tony and I scoffed at the same time as Loki, who sent a suspicious glare at us, but it was Sif who answered. “Would you have believed him?”

The room was silent again.

“You had been controlled by the Mad Titan and you didn't tell me?” Thor’s words were laced with agony, making me wince.

“I gotta say, it was pretty smart of you, but the fact that you didn't tell anyone after wasn't at all smart.” I said to the god at the centre of all the attention.

He narrowed his eyes at me, “What do you mean?”

I rolled my eyes and gave Sif a look. “If homegirl and ThorBro hadn’t already told me some of the elaborate and extremely clever shenanigans you would get them into and out of, I’d have never thought there was anything off about the way you went about things when you tried to ‘take over earth’.” I stated the last par in air quotes.

“Don't presume to know me, Mortal.” Loki snarled like a cornered animal.

Tony gasped, “Aa- Darcy!” I glared at him, his constant near slips of ‘Aunt Viv’ were starting to get on my nerves, but I got that there was quite a bit going on and he was distracted. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

I looked up at him through my lashes with a look of long suffering, but didn't answer.

“What? What’s she saying?” The Archer’s eyes were bouncing around the room, while his bow was still pointed at Loki.

“I think she’s saying that he manipulated the take over in such a way  that earth would rally its forces before he was forced to call down the Chitauri,” the awe in Thor’s voice was the kind that broke your heart and repaired it all at once.

Loki looked stricken, “Broth- Uh, Thor. Yo-” He didn't get a chance to finish what he was trying to say, Thor had wrapped him in his big arms and was holding him tight to his chest. For the first time I knew him, Thor was speaking softly. Likely not in the hopes that no one else could hear, as there were enough supes in the room to hear a cricket fart, but in reverence to his quiet heartfelt apologies and pleas for forgiveness. Over Thor’s shoulder, Loki’s eyes found Sif’s. After he saw that her eyes were shining, he squeezed them tight to block it all out.

“Hey, this is great and all, but is no one going to address the fact that the green chick is _Thanos’s daughter_?” The Ant weener was right.

As one, we all turned toward her, along with the weapons. Starlord stood in front of her, his helmet engaged and space guns drawn.

“Put your weapons down, or I’ll blow all your faces off!” He shouted.

Rocket rolled his eyes, clearly used to his dramatics. “You’re more likely to blow your own face off, Quill.”

“I am _Groot_.” Groot waved his hand at the people in the room.

Drax stepped up to Starlord and lay a hand on his shoulder. “Yes, Peter, Groot is right. You have no chance against anyone in this room, not even the doors.” Mantis stepped up next to Drax and nodded.

“Enough, Peter.” Gamora’s voice was stern but her eyes were warm as she stepped around him, “They have a right to know.”

Peter’s arms fell limply at his sides with a heaved sigh, “but-”

“No, Peter.” She said softly.

He pressed something behind his ear and his helmet disappeared, giving everyone a good look at his pouting face.

“Men.” I heard Sif sigh. I snorted.

Gamora stepped forward, arms up in a manner of surrender, though the way she eye’d the people in the room showed that she was capable of fighting most of them, if not all, bare handed.

“When I was young, my planet was invaded by Thanos and his armies. I was taken like a trophy.” Her eyes were distant, her throat moving as she swallowed. “He raised me like a weapon, my sister Nebula also.” She glared at the Ant dude. “He may have _called_ us his daughters, but we were captives and we. Could. Not. Choose.” She looked around the room at the people assembled there. “As long as I can remember, all he ever spoke of was balance, and his mission to achieve it through the universe.” Her breath was shaky as she ran her palms over her hips. “He plans to unite all six infinity stones and make half the universe disappear in a psychotic bid to create peace through the worlds,” She lifted her hand and snapped her fingers, the sound loud in the quiet of the room. “Just like that.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so things are a little more spoilery for the movie now, but is there anyone left who hasnt seen it?
> 
> Do you like it? 
> 
> Also, let me know if you think I should share the first chapter of my upcoming novel The Unwilling Odyssey, Off With The Fairies when its ready for consumption.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a little later than usual, everyone has the plague and we had to tell Eric Idle that no, we did not have any dead this week.
> 
> I own nothing.
> 
> Thanks to Livvy_Nicklaus for beig the BetaBro of the day!
> 
> If you like this, check out Notes at the end of the chapter.

Chapter 5

 

“Yeah, we know all of that from the Wizard, Elphaba.” Tony filled the awkward silence that followed Gamora’s statement. His way of showing her that she was accepted without getting too emotional. He hated emotional moments.

“You’ve been holding that one in since you laid eyes on her, haven’t you?” I asked as I sat back in my seat.

“Pfft, like you hadn’t thought it yourself.” He waved me off and went back to confirming the specs for the Loki-bot.

“So we’re just going to accept that she’s Thanos’s daughter?” Loki’s voice was wrought with more pain than outrage. Thor was still wrapped around him, though Loki was struggling against him in his anger.

“Loki,” Thor tried to get his attention.

“NO!” he roared. “We just accept that she’s the daughter of a monster? No chains, no muzzle, no cage?”

I heard Sif suck in a deep breath beside me, her face had gone incredibly pale and she looked like she was going to be sick. I looked at Loki again and realised that Sif must have an idea of what was really bothering him about this, but not telling. So did Thor, I realised, based on the look of grief on him face.

“Your _actions_ got you there, not your parentage, Loki,” Thor’s voice was grave but his face held only love. “The blood that runs in your veins is not who you are, no more that the blood in mine makes me who I am.” His big hands rubbed at his trembling brothers shoulders. “There is a lot of Mother in you, how you think that you are a monster when so much of her is there, I’ll never know.”

Loki’s eyes were glassy and wide as he looked for the truth in Thor’s face, before he crumpled into his brothers arms letting out heart wrenching sobs. I don't know what was happening exactly, but I could totally relate to that level of pain.

My eyes flickered over to the Winter Soldier, and found his eyes were already on me. He was looking up at my from beneath his lashes, his face still angled to look at the scene Loki and Thor were making. Thankfully the last few years of pretending to be a ditzy assistant paid off, and I was able to keep my face passive, act like there wasn’t a thundering storm of emotional turmoil happening inside me.

He blinked at me, and then like I’d been given a tiny glimpse of sunlight after so long in the dark, he gave me a small smile. Just a lift of the side of his mouth. So insignificant.

I fought the urge to gasp, allowing the feeling of my lungs screaming at me to keep me grounded. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to burn this whole place to the ground. He sat there, beside the best friend that took him away and the woman that…

I looked down at the table and focused on even breaths. Tried to focus on being here and not the memories that caused me so much pain.

I vaguely acknowledged the others were talking about a rotating cooking schedule, and enforced team dinners, but I was focused on not vomiting all over the table, my breakfast or my hatred.

“Darcy?” I looked up at Jane, her tiny hand on my shoulder. There was a pause in conversation, and I realised that everyone was looking at us.

I sighed, “I’m out. If you need me, I’ll be in the lab.” I stood up and rolled my neck, making sure not to look in his direction. I unceremoniously reached my hand down the front of Sif’s chest plate and plucked the flask from her chest binding, and made my way to the door.

“I’m coming with you.” I looked around and Tony had risen from his seat, not looking up from the holoscreen in his hands.

“Me too, if you’re drinking!” Jane said scrambling up from her seat making grabby hands at the flask I was opening.

“I shall join you.” Sif stood with all the grace of the Goddess of War and glided over to where I was slowly amassing a posse.

“I’m going with you lot, these people are exhausting.” Rocket stated and jumped down from his seat to follow. “Come on Groot.”

Sif looked at me, and I just shrugged. I had no issues with them joining us in the lab, so long as they didn’t touch things.

Groot followed silently, never looking up from his video game.

“I’m with you guys, too!” I looked at the Lang guy and before I could object, Rocket, Sif and Tony had all frowned at the guy with enough force to keep him in his seat.

We made our way out the door without anyone else trying to join us and we made our way down the corridors toward the lab, Sif, Jane and I guzzling from the flask. Tony shooting me worried looks that I ignored. Rocket badgering Groot, who wasn’t listening, to put his game down and watch where he’s walking.

“You’re gonna walk into a wall if you keep this up.” He grumbled.

I handed the flask to Sif as we entered the lab and smirked at Rocket. “Let him, I doubt he’ll make the same mistake twice if we show everyone the video footage of him slamming into a wall.”

An evil little grin spread across his furry face. “Y’know, that’s not a bad idea. I like you. You’re not half bad.”

I grinned back and went over to the back wall of the lab, slid open a palm sized panel, and placed my hand over the scanner hidden there.

“Welcome Home, Moxie. We’ve missed you very much.” FRIDAY’s voice announced warmly.

I levelled Tony with a look, as the entire back wall slid up and revealed the extension to the lab.

His eyebrows jumped up with a look of innocence that was entirely unbelievable on his face. “What, I couldnt put either of your names. So I stuck to Moxie.” He gave a little shrug. I rolled my eyes, I knew it was hard for him to announce his feelings, but this was just ridiculous.

“You could just send a text Tony, I wasn't sure how welcome I’d be if I stuck around.” I did my best to focus on the little upgrades that Tony had added to the work that I’d left behind. I cleared a desk, and pulled up a holoscreen, half listening to the others settling in around me as I opened the file for my Moxie tac gear. I liked to come back to my work after a while so I could reassess my needs with fresh eyes.

I spent hours reworking and finalising the end result. Sif had some suggestions that were kind of brilliant, but I didn't expect anything less from someone who came from such an advanced race. Rocket made some suggestions that I thought were genius, his input had sparked a deep conversation between him and Tony about explosives the Raccoon preferred and what compounds they were made of.

I reached for Sif’s flask quite often, and so did Jane.

Jane tinkered with the previous embodiment of the Whozawhatsit that we’d used to destroy the Dark Elves, mumbling about sending hoes into space, which made me smirk.

I’d finished my tac gear and was watching it be created by the machines, next to all the Bots who were sitting and watching Groot play his game, except Dummy who was standing by Tony with a fire extinguisher.

Tony was watching the data for the Loki-Bot fly across his holoscreen, making sure there weren't any issues with the manufacturing of the parts. He did this while keeping up the conversation with Rocket, which was something that annoyed me. His father should have seen how amazing Tony was, should have valued the child he created over the science experiment he lost in the Atlantic. I wouldn't be surprised if Howard had held a secret crush for the Super Soldier as well. Idiot.

"D’you think I should have a costume, too?” Jane asked laying her head on her arms and looking up at me.

“You’re so drunk, Janie.” I snickered. Sif snorted a little from beside the tiny scientist.

Jane huffed, “I’m serious. I wasn't brought here by accident, and you know it.” she raised her brows at me and I sighed. She was right. I was going to have to accept that Jane was going to have to be combat ready soon, whether I wanted her to be or not.

“What do you mean?” Tony’s voice was cautious and a little angry.

I blew my hair out of my face and looked at Jane with my brows raised, waving a hand at Tony.

Jane sighed and stood up. “I was host to the Reality Stone, the Aether, just before the whole Dark Elves thing happened. I have some…” She paused searching for the right word. “Residual side effects of its parasitical inhabitation. I can perceive reality in a way that I cannot explain.” Her face screwed up. “I also have a tendency to alter reality when I experience high emotion.” Jane's face became earnest. “I’ve been working really hard to get it under control, I’ve not had any slip ups in months. I think I’m doing okay.”

She looked to Sif and I for confirmation. Sif nodded solemnly, and I gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Tony’s narrow eyes bounced between Sif and I. “Is this the reason you were protecting her when you dropped in? Not because she was unable to defend herself, but because she’s a danger to all of us?”

I rolled my eyes. “First of all, Jane was a danger before the Aether, she was playing with wormhole tech.” I pointed to all the prototype tech laying around my lab. “Second of all, she was drunk, we were doing the equivalent of taking her car keys.”

Sif stepped forward and knelt in front of Jane placing a fist across her chest, “I would trust Lady Jane with my life, even when drunk. She’s my Sister from another Mister, and aint no dick shall come between us.”

I wrapped a hand around my mouth and held my breath for as long as I could. This was the best thing I have ever seen.

Tony’s face was priceless, he was actually speechless, he was opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Rocket and Groot didn't seem to care about what was going on, I guess they saw this kind of thing with their group of weirdos all the time.

I felt tears slide down my face and I exploded with a howl of laughter. I bent forward and laughed, arms wrapped around my middle to keep myself together. I then heard Tony, Jane and Sif join me.

It wasn't long until the tears of laughter became the tears of pain. My legs gave out and I crawled under my table, burying my face into my knees, arms covering my head, and I bawled. It was too much.

It felt like he was there and he was so far away all at once. He was with them. Alive, but not really there.

While Lily was buried in a grave marked “Unnamed” next to an empty grave marked “Vivian Stark.” Somewhere there was an empty grave for “James Buchanan Barnes.” While its intended inhabitant was being brainwashed and tortured.

But here I am, and here he is, and Lily was still gone.

Why didn't Howard care enough to experiment on my baby instead of me? Why did he do it to me in the first place?

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I know I’m being woken by someone gently shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes and saw that I was still under the table, but Sif had curled up on my right, her eyes red and swollen, Tony was on my other side fast asleep, his face red and blotchy. Jane was kneeling in front of me with a sad smile, her face was pale and wet. Groot had curled around the side of Tony, where he continued to play his game in silence. Rocket was sitting beside him, sharpening his knives with a determined look on his face, I guess he was standing guard. The Bots were all hovering just out of reach, each holding something I knew they believe to be helpful. Dummy had his fire extinguisher still, U had one of Tony’s gross smoothies, and Butterfingers… Butterfingers was trying to pick up a box of tissues and kept dropping it.

FRIDAY’s voice cut through to silence, “Ms. Lewis, I have been informed that dinner has been assembled by tonight’s rostered group, and that it is currently being served.”

I rolled my eyes and began helping Jane wake Sif and Tony, both were not morning people or liked to be woken.

Thankfully, Sif didn’t try to stab me, and Tony didn't karate chop Jane in the face.

We all crawled out from under the table and stretched out our tight muscles. I went to the small bathroom attached to Tony’s part of the Lab and splashed my face with cold water. I patted my face dry with a paper towel and got out so that Sif, Tony and Jane could do the same.

“Did I mention Pepper’s coming up tomorrow?” Tony asked with a rough voice, once he’d dried the water from his goatee. What is it with the men in this family and their facial hair?

I narrowed my eyes at him beside me as we walked our way back to the communal dining room. “No, you didn't. I think I’d remember if she’d be joining the gang of people I wanna hit.”

“You can't hit Pepper!” Tony squawked.

“Why not? As if she couldn't tell you were going through PTSD? She did nothing about it. But she couldn't handle you being a hero and left you alone and vulnerable. But then suddenly she can now that you’re living life in a way that’s acceptable to _her_? I don't like it Tony. We, of all people, live unique lives. She couldn’t manipulate things to her benefit and so she pulls the plug on your relationship, knowing your greatest weakness is loneliness?”

“That's not how it is at all.” He grumbled, no eye contact being made at all.

“Maybe, but from where I stand, it's all pretty manipulative and selfish. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ross had gotten to her.” I shrug at him, following Jane and Sif through the door to the crowded room. Thankfully there’s plenty of seating here. I looked at the table and realised that there was just enough for everyone, and not one seat more. I cringed.

Strange stood at the head of the table arms open to get everyone’s attention. “Now that we’re all here, I’ve taken the liberty to arrange assigned seats.”

My shoulders dropped and heard several people groan around the room. I thought about making a joke about Captain America wanting all the liberty for himself, but I was emotionally drained and just wanted to get this over and done with.

I walked to the table and began reading name cards, trying to figure out where I was to sit. I was down on the far end of the table, one seat from the end. I looked to the two names beside me, Rocket was on my right, making me smile. The name on the left made me frown. Natasha. I sighed. This is going to be a long dinner. Thankfully I was still in possession of the flask. I pulled it out of my top and began drinking again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like it? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please comment!
> 
> If you like this: Subscribe, and check me out on my socials for news on my upcoming novel!
> 
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	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this chapter, I had to change up my writing schedule a little, just a tiny bump in the road. But all is in order, now.   
> I own nothing.  
> Thanks to [Livvy_Nicklaus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Livvy_Nicklaus/pseuds/Livvy_Nicklaus) for beta!  
> If you like this, check out my other fics, and my website for original content.

####  Chapter 6

 

“Who cooked this?” Tony asked as he tentatively poked at the roast meat layed out between him and King T’Challa. I noticed that Loki and the Ant dude were seated across from me, which was actually a relief, better than the Husband and his boyfriend on top of his girlfriend who was sitting so close at the cramped table that we might even knock elbows as we ate.

“That would be Ms. Romanoff, King Thor, Prince Loki and Mr. Drax,” Vision answered as he settled next to the Scarlet Witch with a little smile. 

I pulled my utensils away from what looked like mash potatoes and placed them on my half empty plate and sat back in my chair. Looks like I’ll be having a liquid dinner tonight. I took a deeper drink from Sif’s flask.

“Is there something wrong with the food?” The Widow’s husky voice was unaffected, but the fact that she even asked meant she was bothered by my refusal to eat.

I tipped my head to look at her, “If you think I’m going to eat anything you cook, you’re dumber than you look, which is a feat in itself.” I rolled my eyes and went back to watching the people at the table and getting drunker. Strange was sitting next to Mantis, who kept smiling at him which was making him uncomfortable. Gamora was sitting next to Bu-... The Winter Soldier, eyeing his metal arm, Thor and Groot were talking over Starlord who couldn't take his eyes off Thor's biceps. I snickered. Then I remembered what Tony had said about Pepper. 

“Yo, Brony!” The fact that only a few people understood that gave me concern about what these “heroes” were even fighting for if they know so little about the people they “save.”

Tony’s groan was loud and long and made my heart sing. “Whaaaaaat.”

I leaned forward to look at him down the other end of the table. 

“You might want to make sure you keep Pepper away from me, I imagine that I’ll be drunk for the foreseeable future,” I waved the flask in the air, to prevent him from speaking, “No, Tony, the kind of drunk you have to bribe to keep from the press, and I will not be held accountable for whatever honesty I have to say when I see her.” 

He hung his head, eyes flickering over his plate of food, probably trying to look at the situation from all angles. After a moment, his eyes met mine. “No promises.” 

No. Promises. 

He wanted Pepper to answer to somethings too. 

“Yes!” I shouted, dousing the Widow’s hair with a splash of Asgardian mead. The room went silent as the men tried to decide how this was going to play out. 

“Aren't you even going to say sorry?” the redhead asked darkly.

I furrowed my brows, “Wouldn’t I have to be sorry?” I lifted the flask and tipped it over her head. As it was a never ending flask, the liquid just kept pouring out on her head. Soon enough, her shirt and jeans were soaked.    
“Alright, that's enough.” Rogers said firmly, standing  a little from his seat at the other end of the table, but I ignored him.    
Loki was snickering, while some others were getting shifty, probably wondering what the Widow’s revenge would be. When I’d decided I’d had enough, I moved my hand over her plate, then took a sip and capped the flask. Faster than I’d thought the woman could move, she threw a punch, her fist landing on my jaw with a crunch. It felt like everyone in the room held their breath. I turned my head and looked at the wide eyed woman and then her broken hand. 

“You might wanna get that looked at, comrade.” I took a slow sip of the flask, my eyes pinning her where she sat. 

“Nat?” The Captain’s question was drowned out by the slight growl of the tiny scientist that sat beside the Hulk, her eyes darker than pitch. 

I spat the mead from my mouth, ignoring Loki’s flinch that I will probably have FRIDAY replay for me later, “Janie, no!”

Before anyone could do anything, Jane wrenched her hand into the air toward the Widow and the red haired spy gave a silent scream as she watched her fingers, then hands dissolve into nothing. 

“Say you’re sorry.” Jane’s voice was quiet and eerie. 

The Widow, who looked like she was ready to throw up, turned to me and exhaled a shaky apology. 

Instantly, her hands blinked back into existence again. I looked over to Jane, her eyes their usual sparkling brown again, and saw that the room was staring at her in awe and a little fear. Thor, however, was looking at her with a little more than lust, which made me want to gag.

I rolled my eyes, “Jane, if you wanted to come out of the Super!Closet, you shouldn’t take cues from me, it's not conducive to…” I waved the flask in the air, my words becoming a little harder to say. “Conducive things.” 

“Can we not get through a single gathering where someone doesn’t try to kill someone else?” Strange asked tiredly.

“Sorry, Dad.” Tony and Starlord answered at the same time, making me snicker along with Gamora and Loki. I looked up at him where he sat, and realised that there was a chance that I may actually enjoy the Tricksters company. One day. Not today, but one day soon.

Most people at the table began eating again in silence. 

“Tomorrow, I have decided that we will start doing the activities for the team building,” Strange said conversationally to no one. 

Tony waived his fork of roast whatever around at his evil twin. “Yeah, I figured you would, and thankfully,  _ I _ am already two steps - okay let's be honest, 5 steps - ahead.” He glanced down the table at me and back at Strange, “Y’see, I kind of anticipated some things happening, and have built an obstacle course, of sorts.” I hung my head and groaned. I’d seen the schematics. He got the idea after he visited me in Westchester where I was able to get myself under control. 

“What do you mean, by obstacle course?” Gamora asked, poking at the bowl of mash potato like she was worried it would fight back. Quill silently got up and walked past a few people to where Gamora sat. He reached over her shoulder and flicked some peas off her plate, that bounced off the Winter Soldiers arm, and dumped a large pile of mash in its place, drowning it in gravy, and went back to sitting between Groot and Thor. 

Tony watched all of this and then sat silently staring at his plate for a moment before clearing his throat. 

Deciding to rescue him, I pushed my plate forward, and leaned my arms on the table. “He means that he has a room filled with nano tech that can turn into anything you need it to be so you can fight or train or practice whatever you like.” I decided that I’d had enough to drink, so I threw the flask down to Sif, who filled her glass before tucking it away in her breast plate. Seeing that people were only mildly impressed with what I’d had to say, I realised I hadn't given the full description and waved my hands around, bouncing a little with excitement. “It’s way better than that though, because he’s hooked it up to the holo-glasses. You need to practice fight an enemy that only you have seen? You just put the glasses on and the nanotech will create it according to your memory.” 

“I’m not putting them on.” Rocket said quietly. I looked down at him and smirked.

“Awww, samesies!” I heard a couple snorts from further down the table and beside me, but I had a feeling that there were a couple of people that felt the same as the Raccoon.

I looked up at the little moan of pleasure and saw that Gamora’s eyes were rolled into the back of her head. My eyes flicked to Quill, and he was poking at his dinner with his fork, a little smile pulling at his lips. 

I swallowed and looked around the table, the Widow’s eyes were on the Soldier’s, Loki’s were on Sif’s, Thor’s were on Jane’s, and Vision and Scarlet Witch were practically undressing each other with their eyes, I wanted to be anywhere other than here.

“These people are going to make me sick,” muttered Rocket. Staring at the bowl of roasted carrots in front of me, I absently held my fist out to him to bump. He must have picked things up quickly, because he didn’t leave me hanging. 

“You really wanna have it on with Pepper?” Rhodey asked the silence. I waited to hear the answer, but when I didn't hear one I looked around and saw everyone was looking at me. 

“Oh, me?” Tony rolled his eyes, and I flipped him off. “Her motives are suspect and I think she's working with Ross.”

Rhodey’s shoulders relaxed, “Oh thank god, I thought I was the only one.” 

Tony twisted in his seat, “Et tu Brutus?” 

Hulk pointed at Tony, “No Bruce.”

Tony put his hands up in a placating gesture, “It’s a saying, Jolly Green, nothing to do with Banner.” Hulk looked at him a moment and nodded, before turning back to his large bowl of mash and salad spoon.

Rhodey shrugged his shoulders and sighed. “Her leaving you was one thing, but then to come back after you’d bowed to the pressure of the government made no sense. I had more questions than answers, and what answers I  _ did _ have were not good.”

“Wait, Pepper left you?” Natasha asked, reminding me that she was there. I inched away from her, nearly sitting on Rocket’s chair. Thankfully he was small and did not take up a lot of space on the seat.

“Yeah,” Tony said quietly.

When Tony didn't go on any further, the Vision continued. “She left after the incident involving the president and her receiving Extremis, claiming that she was unable to live the kind of life that Tony lived.” he paused, “After the Avengers were long gone and Tony had demonstrated his ability to follow orders for Secretary Ross, the two reconciled. I don't think things were discussed about her change of mind.”

“No, they weren't” Tony’s voice was subdued.

“I could read her to see if I can detect deceit.” Mantis said, her voice soft and sweet. 

“That's not a bad idea,” Rhodey said with a look to Tony. 

“I could read her thoughts, see if she’s conferring with Ross?” Scarlet Witch offered, her body leaning slightly toward Vision’s, like they were polarised magnets. 

“I could talk to her, my training was extensive,” the Widow’s eyes flickered to the Soldier’s when she said the word ‘training’ and I grimaced.

“I could punch her really hard in the boob.” I muttered.

“I could hang her from her heels and flay her.” Loki suggested. I looked up and thanks to Sif’s stories I knew that because of the tiny eyebrow twitch that he was just saying it to get a raise. 

I pointed a finger at him and said, “Leave her heels alone, they’re Louis Vuitton. You will respectfully take them off her and set them aside before you do any flaying, mister.”

He held his hands up in front of him and looked contrite like I’d told him to wash his hands after going to the toilet. “Fair enough.” he went back to eating his meal, a sparkle of delight in his eye as he looked at me. I poked my tongue out at him and flung a glob of mash at him. Being as drunk as I was, I might have thrown a little too hard, and it hit him with a large exhaled ‘Ooff’ and his seat went sliding backward a little. 

“Now  _ this _ is what I’m talkin’ about.” Came from Quill, just before all hell broke loose and food started flying. 

With a delighted giggle I grabbed the bowl of mash in front of me and used my fork to start flinging mash at any projectiles heading my way, hoping to steer them off course to someone else's messy misery. Loki and the Widow were often targets, I may or may not have made a couple of spoonfuls of mash smack the Captain in the face. Something he seemed to catch on, too. I didn't realize it until I saw a chunk of meat flying at me from where he sat, using his plate as a shield. Without thinking, I grabbed the back of the redheads clothing and yanked her into the path of the meat, it landing with a loud wet slap in her face and neck. 

A rusty bark of laughter erupted from the Soldier, causing his best bro to look at him like he hung the moon. So I used that moment to grab a handful of mash and fling it at the Soldier’s face, mouth wide open from laughing. 

He was frozen for a moment before he wiped the mess from his eyes. The chaos went on around us, I continued to use the redhead as a shield, though she tried to escape, I now had a tight on her hair. 

The look I received when the Soldier made me should have been terrifying, knowing the history that the Soldier had experienced. I knew, logically, that I should be afraid, but there was a tiny spark of something in his eyes. It could easily have been mash potato, but something in me, that communicated without words, told me it was something familiar. I swallowed, trying to keep my heart from throwing itself down on the table… or maybe all the booze I’d been drinking. 

Before the Soldier could retaliate, a chair went flying through the air, taking Mantis out without any effort. Hulk had apparently decided that the food wasn’t causing enough damage, and had started picking up the abandoned chairs and throwing them instead of food. 

“This is much better.” Drax shouted as he too, began throwing chairs. 

“Darcy!”

I heard the Widow swear as a chair came as us, which I again, used her to defend myself. I did my best to ignore the crunch sound her face made, because throwing up on an empty stomach was just horrible, and looked around to see what my options were. 

“Darcy, here!” 

I saw Loki had been defending himself with a green misty shield, while also using his magic to hurl bits of chicken breast at Thor who had a childish grin on his face… as well as half a chicken. Groot had made his way over to Rocket, and the two had apparently been hiding behind me and my semi-human shield. 

Another chair went flying. King T’Challa, no the Black Panther dove out of the way, causing a gleeful Lang to take the chair to the side with a girlish squeal. 

“Vivian!” I looked up and saw Jane and Sif standing side by side, Tony was fully suited beside them and was trying to get the Hulk to stop throwing chairs. 

I realised after a moment that they needed me to take on the Hulk. “Oh yeah.” 

I tossed the Widow aside and made my way over to where they stood. As I passed him, I threw a wink back at Loki and tapped Thor on the shoulder. When he turned to look at me, I took a big step back and watched the many plates around him propel themselves with a green mist up onto any part of Thor that was available. 

When I stepped up beside Sif, I saw that the Valkyrie had apparently tried to take Jane on, and was now dangling from the ceiling by what looked like ropes of sausage links. 

“We didn’t even have sausages, Janie.” I huffed. 

Tony’s mechanical voice cut Jane’s response off, “Not the time for this. We need to do something about the Hulk before we allert Ross to the mass of wanted criminals under my roof.” 

I sighed, “Semantics.” but stepped up to the Big Green ball of happy who was smashing up the place, and tapped him on the forearm. 

“Dude, you gotta stop.” 

He turned and gave a look of pure disappointment. “But, Hulk smash.”

I nodded. “And you do it so well, but this was a food-smash only kind of deal.” 

The Hulk blinked at the people around him who had mostly stopped to try and defend themselves from flying chairs. He sat down with a slump, nearly curling in on himself. “Hulk sorry,” it was said so quietly, like a child who didn't want to get into trouble. After what Tony said about Banners childhood, I couldn't discount that might just be the case.

“S’all good, Mean Green. You’ll know for next time.”

He perked up at that. “Next time?”

I nodded with a little smirk. His face was so happy, like a kid at christmas, I couldn't help but laugh. 

My laughter died when I heard the next question, though.

“Who is Vivian?”

 

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	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY THIS HAS BEEN SO DELAYED!   
> I had to focus on editing my manuscript, but it is now in the hands of my line editor! Oce Upon A... What? is coming really really soon!!!
> 
> I own nothing.  
> Thanks to [Livvy_Nicklaus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Livvy_Nicklaus/pseuds/Livvy_Nicklaus) for beta!  
> If you like this, check out my other fics, and my website for original content.

####  Chapter 7

 

I stood off to the side with Sif and Jane in my newly designed tac gear. Jane and I were in identical domino masks, lightweight bullet proof, skin tight pants and army boots in black. Our outfits differed in that she had a blood red, bullet proof, long sleeved top on, while I had a cobalt blue tank on and newly replaced energy stabilizer cuffs on my wrists.

“Domino masks? Really?” Tony’s derision was palpable through the Iron Man helmet and I rolled my eyes before flipping him off, though Jane decided to answer the question anyway.

“You and the rest of your super friends might be okay with having your identities on display while you fight, but we don’t. We’re not that stupid.” 

Tony was joined by Rhodey, “What happens in the middle of a fight when they get knocked off? What about facial recognition software?”

I smirked at him and ran my hand over my face, and watched as his and Tony’s faces lit up with interest when my fingers slipped through the holographic mask. 

Janes smug voice added, “And the hologram also distorts our features for digital cameras. A bit like a QR code virus that will lead whoever decides to look us up on a wild goose chase.”

Tony opened his mouth with a frown, but before he could say anything, Strange was calling everyone's attention to the front of the armoured group. 

“Now, as you all know, we need to start getting along, and the only way for that to happen is for everyone here to start trusting each other.” 

I groaned at the delusion of the doctor wizard, a little amused at the fact that I wasn't the only one, and glanced over at the group. There was everyone from earth in their gear as we’d seen them all on television. The space clique were all dressed pretty much the same, except for the fact that Quill was wearing his creepy red eyed helmet thing.  And  Then there was the Asgardian contingent of the group, that now included the Hulk for some reason, and the woman - now known as Valkyrie - was dressed in white and had a sword, which in this group wasn't exactly impressive. 

“We’ll be doing something a little different this time. We’ll be playing paintball, without powers.”

There was some upheaval, but it was the quiet voice of the King of Wakanda that cut through the arguments. “Some of us cannot exist without the things that make us special, Doctor. You will have to accept that there are some with abilities they cannot turn off.”

Strange looked at all the group for a moment and sighed, running his hand over his face. “You’re right.” He looked up at everyone, “At least you’re all sober right now.”

I poked my tongue out at him and ignored the snickering from the group. Jerk. Dude doesnt know the pain of what I’m going through to stand here and put up with this lot. 

“How does one play this paintball?” I looked over to Loki, and though I thought it was a fair question for their group to want to know, Thor’s relief was so big it made me snicker. I slapped the back of my hand into Jane who just huffed and crossed her arms, pointedly looking away. 

“For those of you that aren't aware of how to play, you’ll be given a print out that F.R.I.D.A.Y was kind enough to put together for this very reason.”

The papers were handed out by a rather enthusiastic looking Quill. When he came round to us, I took one for Sif and Jane and two for myself. As soon as everyone was busy reading, I folded mine into two airplanes and waited til Strange was answering questions from Gamora and flung the precision folded craft at the side of Roger’s head. Then as soon as it left my finger tips, I bent over with Jane and Sif, pointing at the image of the gun options. 

“This gun is known to jam, and this is made with an improper length barrel, I’d pick this one for short distance and this one for long distance.”

Jane looked up at me, “Which will you be picking?” 

I blinked at her, “Both.” Then scanned my eyes across the group quickly, seeing that Rogers was busy again, discussing strategy with the Winter Soldier, who looked to have swapped sides of him. Rogers now had his back to me, and it was a perfect shot through, so I used a little more force and the paper plane was flying across the distance. As the plane left my hand this time, my eyes locked with the Winter Soldiers, who did nothing to rescue his friend. I turned to Sif this time asking her what she would suggest strategy-wise when it comes to the fact that we didn't know the fighting methods of some of these people, and did my best to ignore the giddy feeling in my chest at the twinkle in his warm eyes. 

As soon as everyone was comfortable with the rules, Strange had us all standing in a line. 

“I’m going to ask that none of you move. I’ll be giving each of you a number. You’ll either be one, two, three or four. When you’re given your number, you’re to stand in your groups and that will be your team.”

A couple of the group, mainly Barton, Quill and Lang, tried to move, but found their feet stuck to the ground. “You’ll find that there will be two games going on at once in two different locations. You are to work together and get the flag of your enemy.”

Instead of him going around and counting one through four, he waved his hands and a glowing number appeared on the chest of each person. I looked down at the glowing number three on my chest and looked around. The only other three near me was Rocket, who looked like he won the lottery when he saw that our numbers matched. We walked, with Mantis, to where we saw that Loki was standing alone with his glowing number three. 

Loki looked at me like he wasn't entirely sure what to say but wanted to say something, so I just smirked and said, “Who do you hope to take down, if only in play, Mischief Maker?” 

He blinked and scanned the area filled with extra powered people, a little lift to the side of his lip before smoothly purring, “Hmm, I think it depends on what is allowed to take place once they’re down.” 

I glanced behind me to where I saw his eyes skip over, and saw Sif staring down at her sword with a clenched jaw. Huh, that was entirely too much information for me to want to know. 

I gave him a sly look and leaned forward before stage whispering, “I don't think they’d let you bone Thor, Loki, sadly even adopted brotherly incest still wigs people out here.” 

I heard several choked noises, a snort from Sif’s general direction, and a cackle from Rocket beside me, but I ignored them all to watch Loki’s face redden with a sense of schadenfreude that tingled up my spine. 

“I believe he was referring to someone else, Miss Lewis.” 

I turned at the low smooth voice of the King of Wakanda as he and the Winter Soldier stepped closer, both wearing a glowing number three on their chest. I bit back the many  _ many _ swear words that were building, along with bile, in the back of my throat. 

“Where do I get me one of those?” Rocket asked awed. I turned and saw he was eyeing Bu- the Winter Soldier's arm. I also saw how uncomfortable the Soldier was and, ignoring the fact that it was any kind of protective instinct toward him that was compelling me to answer for him, I dismissively answered, “Evil science douche canoes, my little explosives happy friend. Evil science douche canoes.”

His furry face froze, before an a fire of what appeared to be rage set alight in his eyes. “Didja use it to kill em?” Knowing what I read in the Soldier’s file, I could really appreciate the dark quality of the small enhanced raccoon, but also, gave me reason to believe there was more to his own story than I would probably ever know. 

With a slight shrug of one shoulder, a familiar movement, and a nasty curl to his lip, an unfamiliar movement, he replied, “As many as I could.”

I felt the churn of emotions in my gut as I watched Rocket nod in commiserate camaraderie and hold his fist out to him. There was very little of the man I once knew there, shades, perhaps echos… but he was lost to seventy years of torture and brainwashing. It wasn't possible to keep looking at him, the well acquainted lines and the unrecognisable stance, so I looked over the rest of the group and tried to size them up.

Clearly thinking along the same lines, Wakanda’s King took over and asked, “What are everyone’s strengths?” 

No one spoke at first, but Mantis hesitantly stepped forward with her hand up like a school child and said, “I can read people's emotions, though I need to have physical contact.”

I felt my eyes go wide and slid a long step back, which it seems was Loki and the Soldiers response as well. It was the Soldier that blurted out, “You probably wanna avoid touching me then, Doll.” 

Of course my stomach churned some more. I can't imagine the kind of flashbacks the loaded weapon of Hydra would have. Fuck. I looked over to Sif and Jane, trying to think of some reason to retreat long enough to breathe or out right escape before I threw up the lunch that Rhodey, Quill, Groot, Lang and I made all over the place. Sif was chatting with Gamora about their swords, both ignoring the stern admonishments of Rogers. I felt a little lighter at the thought. Jane on the other hand looked to be arguing with the Hulk about something. I tuned out Loki’s rather long and boastful list of skills he has and listened across the groups to Jane pleading with the Hulk, “Please? I just wanna talk to him for like five minutes about how he extracted the gamma radiation from the test mice in the last round of tests he made.”

“Miss Lewis?” I blinked and looked back at my team. Team number three. Yep. That's us. I focused my eyes on the black kitty cat while the churning was slowly notching up to a burning pit of anguish at this point. I wasn’t sure how long I could keep going. 

“Wassup, King T’Cola?” I don't know who started it, Howard, Tony or me, timelines get a little fuzzy when you’ve laid up in a cryo chamber under a building for 65 years, but who ever did was genius (obviously, we’re Starks) as there is no greater pleasure in seeing the destruction of someone's ego when you’re trying to deflect or keep someone on the backfoot. 

“Ah, Miss Lewis-” 

“Moxie.” I interrupted. 

He paused, probably blinking, “Moxie, My name is T’Challa.”

I nodded amiably, “That's what I said.”

His head tilted slightly but he didn't argue. “I asked what are your strengths?” 

Finding an avenue to distract myself, I felt my face light up and lifted a hand to start counting them off. “I am super strong, as you know, and not just in the heavy lifting area, you gotta have a strong sense of self to have been tortured. Ammi right, Lokes?” He blinked at me and opened his mouth to answer, but I charged on, ignoring him because the whole point was to mess with these fuckers as best I can. “I can make a  _ mean _ pasta sauce.” I turned toward Tony where he stood with Rhodey awkwardly trying to talk to Barton and Wilson. “Hey Tony! How goods my pasta?” 

Tony and Rhodey both turned their heads and popped their face plates at the same time. Tony cautiously scrutinized my company before locking eyes with me, “I have been trying to get her to teach it to me, but she’s being a hoarding hoarder that hoards. I think she’s using it to keep me in line, but I haven't figured out how yet… and if I’m honest, I don’t really mind.”

I grinned at him noncommittally, and went back to listing my strengths. “I have this thing I do with my tongue that… actually I think that might be NSFW.” To which I ignored the faces of confusion, going on to create sparks around the cuffs on my wrists, “I have this atomic electrical thing that I have been able to figure out. I am kinda a genius, like Tony, but I don't invent shit.”

“Yes you do!” 

“Tony, stop eavesdropping its  _ rude _ . Also, an inventor must be willing to share their tech, and I am not. So no, I’m mostly just a tinkererer.”   
“Still not a word!” 

“It is now bitch!” I flipped him off and ignored his twin middle fingers to go back to confusing Team number three. “I have really good hearing. Like I could hear an ant fart from a mile away… I’m looking at you Lang!”

The Soldier snorted into a laugh and I had to keep my breathing steady so that I could keep going.

“There's not a super secret agency club that I’ve not been able to hack, by the way, Okoye is totally into you… her heart rate spikes every time you make eye contact with her. So sad you’re into the other chick coz Okoye looks like she’d be a beast in the sack…” I stood my ground as I watched the King go very still, and the Soldier stopped laughing. My senses were alert, and honestly, physical pain would be better than the rancid hollow feeling that I felt in my whole being. 

“Who is Vivian?” He asked again. Clearly not getting the answer last night and obviously picking up on Tony’s more than noticeable ticks, he realised there was some kind of secret there. 

I gave him a smile that I knew didn't reach my eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing.  
> Thanks to [Livvy_Nicklaus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Livvy_Nicklaus/pseuds/Livvy_Nicklaus) for beta!  
> If you like this, check out my other fics, and my website for original content.  
> Debut novel “Once Upon A… What?” coming soon.  
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> [www.KatherineHenshaw.com](https://www.katherinehenshaw.com)

“Okay, everyone ready?” was all the warning we had before each group was dropped through a sparkly portal to a new location in the woods. Fucking evil twin wizards. 

A projection (whether mystical or digital, I couldn't tell… or care) of Doctor Strange stood between the two groups in the center of a clearing in the woods. He was saying something about the rules, but I wasn't listening. The other team that stood on the other side of the jabbering loser was Sif’s… which meant it also had Rogers. I felt the Soldier and Panther tense beside me, which I then noticed that my power regulators had short circuited and were now in pieces on the ground. They didn’t work the best when I was feeling emotional, but they got the job done for the rest of the time.

I cracked my neck and eye’d the rest of the opposing team. Green chick, Gamora. Hand to hand combat, has a sword. Best to stay out of arms… well, swords reach. Drax, all hit no brains, not a problem. I curl my lip. Widow, hand to hand, skilled mentalist, good shot. Keep out of sight for her. Lang, I can hear even when he’s tiny, so no issues there. Sif I’ve sparred with enough times, she's a terrible shot. I smirk at her, she only pokes her tongue out at me, making me lose a bark of laughter. At the sound of Loki’s surprised mou, the smirk stays firmly on my face. And finally Rogers. Dude is all about diving head first, so hopefully we can use that to our advantage. 

We’re dropped into another sparkly hole, my eyes are locked with Captain Rogers until the the sparkles get in the way, and as soon as I realise we’re in a lean to with a red flag in it, I get my guns locked and loaded and turn to Loki. 

“You’re in charge here, what do you think?” Loki blinked at me, stunned, before his eyes took in the rest of the team and composed himself.

I glanced at the others, who were all fine, except for the Panther and the Soldier. I rolled my eyes at them, “You  _ really _ think you can do better than a man who has been fighting battles with Thor for over a thousand years?”

The Panther tilted his head like a cat and looked back to Loki, “Let us hear what your plan is and we shall decide if it holds merit.”

I drop my head back in exasperation, but decide I didn't care enough to deal with these men's egos. 

Loki begins pacing, his hands clasped behind him. If ever there were a time to see that he was raised a prince, this was it.

“From what I know of the enemy, they will likely follow the soldier,” his eyes flick to Bu- the Winter Soldier and falters, “Uh, the Captain of America.” 

“He’s just named that, he’s no captain or in charge of America, but continue.” I wave my hand at him to get him to keep talking. 

He blinked at me and then nodded, “I imagine he might have issues with Lady Sif and/or  _ Gamora _ ,” He said the last name through gritted teeth. Dude has some issues, but I’m not going to lie, there's some serious bias among this group and I can feel his pain. “But I imagine they will all come to the conclusion to have the Spider and the Ant sneak over while the Cap-” He looks at me a moment, “Rogers, the Grey One-”

“That is Drax,” Mantis said delighted to help. She didn't seem like the kind of person that should be anywhere near a fight, I don't understand why she's here, but I’m sure there's a reason. 

Loki nodded his head to her in acknowledgement and continued. “While Rogers,  _ Drax _ and Lady Sif take an offence, likely a loud one.”

He looked around the group, “the trick will be to prevent the capture of our flag while obtaining theirs. And to figure out which of them will be guarding the flag.”

The Soldier turned to the Panther, “I imagine that Steve would either put Sif or Lang on the flag, Nat would be too valuable to not be put in the field, Lang can be a bit of a hit or miss and he has no idea about Sif except that she’s friends with Thor and he’s dumb enough to judge her skill based on that.”

I snorted. So did Loki, it was rather undignified of him actually. 

They both looked from Loki to me as he and I shared a look. When the Soldier raised his eyebrow at me, my stomach flipped, but I gave him a little smirk. 

“To judge Sif based on her association with Thor is like judging you based on your association with the meathead, Rogers.”

He glared at me, but nodded his head in acknowledgement. 

Loki, having zero fucks to give to the seemingly harmless conversation between the Soldier and I, went back to musing out loud about a strategy. 

He looked to Mantis, “You are capable of reading someone's emotions, and that does us no good in this scenario,” 

She shrugged, “I could put them to sleep if they get within touching distance.” Her almost childlike voice was punctuated with an equally guileless smile. 

Loki stared at her a moment, the quick flickering of his eyes indicating rapid thought, before nodding, “You will lay in wait with the flag, should any of the enemy get close, you shall put them out of commission.”

She smiled brightly, but the Panther stepped forward, ‘This is a paintball exercise, not an actual battle.”

Loki grazed his eyes over his black suit and then raised a defiant and exasperated eyebrow, “then once they are asleep, she may shoot them with paint.” As though it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

I felt my attention shift as I heard my name from somewhere deep in the woods.

“Honestly, if I know Lady Darcy, she’ll turn to Loki-”

“Let me handle this, Miss Sif-”

“That's  _ Lady _ Sif to you you overgrown masthead-”

“ _ Lady  _ Sif-”

“No. You need to listen to me-”

“I doubt Bucky or T’Challa will listen to the insane god or insane Stark, Sif.” came the deep voice of the Widow.

There was a clang of metal followed by a huff.

“I can assure you that the game is already forfeit then.”

I smirked at Sif’s conviction and belief in Loki and I.

“Is there something amusing about the Soldier of Winter taking a, what did you call it? A nest?” The Soldier nodded. 

I blinked, looked the God of Mischief in the eyes and felt a grin stretch my face. “Nope, just Sif trying to warn those idiots about you and them not listening. You were right about the Blonde Bimbo taking charge, but no matter how much she insists, he’s not taking her seriously. The Spider seems to think the Winter Soldier and the Panther wouldn't listen to us because we’re crazy.” I blinked and looked at the others in team three. “Which, I guess it can feel like that sometimes. But sometimes crazy is better than broken.” I shrugged and ignored the disquiet on the faces of Buc- the Winter Soldier and the Black Panther. 

Loki shot look at me for a moment, a look that was entirely too emotive for the field for my liking, before turning to the issue at hand. 

“Then I imagine, since I am unable to hear the conversation you just witnessed, that you are able to hear their heart beats?” he gave me a considering look. “Perhaps even the Widow as she prowls?” 

I raised a brow at him, “Dude, not only that, but I can hear the Ant when he is small.”

He folded his arms and leaned back on his heels. “That will do quite nicely.” He looked to Rocket and the Panther. “You two, including myself, will be advanced guard, shoot anything that moves. Your Majesty, if you can go undetected while you do, then do it. We shall create as much distraction as possible, I myself will create as many doubles as possible to confuse the enemy enough to show their hiding spots. The Feline, Rocket and I will all aim to retrieve the flag.” He smirked at me. “Moxie, you and the Soldier will pick off the enemy as they show themself. Both of you use whatever means necessary to make it happen.” He looked at the team with a satisfied air. “Are there any faults in my strategy? Or can we get on with this silly war game?” 

The Soldier and the Black Panther looked at each other in askance, but neither had anything to say. I roll my eyes and cock my hip. “Aight then Rusky Cyborg, where would you suggest I set myself up to compliment the nest that you clearly have already picked out?”

The Winter Soldier looked at me, a questioning look in his eyes. I gave him a shuttered look, making my emotional state as inaccessible as possible to him as I could possibly make it. 

He flicked his eyes around the outside of the cabin and pointed to a space in a tree off to the side. 

I shrugged my shoulders, disinterested. If I’m honest, I could do without this whole thing, the people, the woods, the trees and the games. If I could, I’d just be sitting in the London apartment playing candy crush while I ignored reality television. I put it on to make sure the apartment isn't silent, okay, don't judge. 

This was just a game, and these people were taking it way too seriously. Note to self - don't be like them. 

“You need a hand gettin’ up to the bottom branch?” I heard Buck- the Soldier ask. I looked up at his inquisitive face and then to the bottom branch he was referring to. It was a good 15 feet off the ground. Without looking back at his face, I rolled my eyes, tucked my paintball pistol into the back of my pants and jumped straight up. Once I had a grip on the branch, I used my momentum to launch myself further to the next branch, and so on until I found a height that I liked. It felt an awful lot like running away.

I heard his soft steps below me as he made his way to wherever-the-fuck and I closed my eyes and inhaled a silent, yet steady breath. I didn't know how long this was going to go on for and I needed to prepare myself for the very real possibility that this was going to be my reality until either the end of this war with Thanos, or one of us dies… again. 

I sat silently, my paintball rifle at the ready, watching Loki, Bagheera and Rocket make their way in the direction of the enemy flag. I could here Mantis singing Fleetwood Mac softly to herself in the cabin and decided, with a smirk, that she was good people. 

I didn't know where Hydras fist was sitting, but I could hear a slow lub-lub off to my left and slightly lower, at a reasonable distance.

He looked like he hadn’t aged more than five years give or take. Or perhaps a couple of more years on the docks, in the summer sun would have done the job. I slowly forced breath into constricting lungs. He was  _ not _ the same man. Relatively speaking, in the very unlikely event that he still remembered me, he still was seventy years of tortured life away from being the man he once was. 

And what of the way we left things? I could still hear the echo of the vase breaking after I threw it at the door he shut behind himself. It was ridiculous. If he had returned from the Alps after that mission, we’d still have been over. He chose to risk his life to protect Steve fucking Rogers over being there with his pregnant wife as their family began growing, after all. Rogers always came first. And the fact that he never even told him about  _ his wife _ was incredibly telling. 

Breathing the clean air of the outdoors, I heard the ratta-tat-tat of paintballs being shot out in the woods. I couldn’t tell who it was, but I didn't care. I’ll shoot when I have something to shoot at. 

I mindlessly enjoyed DJ Mantis and the easy sway of the breeze in the leaves. It felt like hours before there was anything to shoot. I had followed the steps of someone as the crack of a twigs and leaves beneath the feet of whoever was making their way toward our flag. Their steps were now off to the left, and were within range. The Soldier had probably made them, and I had my rifle aimed, but I was waiting for a visual. Because I preferred to be underestimated by my enemies. Also, I didn't care if we won or lost, I wanted to go back to the compound and either wait for Potts or spend uninterrupted time drinking in the memory room. 

I saw a flash of matte black at hip height in the bushes and though I was going to leave it for the Soldier to handle, I couldn't resist shooting the Widow… I mean. It's not a  _ real  _ bullet, but it’ll have to do for now. 

I took aim and shot in the approximate location of her heart… well, y’know, where one should be. As you are trained to do when you go to a shooting range. It hand nothing to do with the fact that she had boned my husband or was possibly still boning him. And Rogers. Maybe together. There was a satisfying grunt, knowing I’d managed to hit the mark, and she’d stopped trying to sneak, I let off another 3 rounds for good measure. 

“I’ve already been shot!” she announced. 

I waited another heartbeat and shot her twice more in the chest. 

I smiled at her grumbled Russian swear words, deciding that any more and it would be laboring the point a little too much. 

I was getting bored now, and honestly, I didn't care if I got shot, but my pride got in the way of getting down out of the tree and hunting patriotic enhanced human for supper. 

Some more time went by, and I found myself starting to get drowsy. A quick check and I could hear that Rocket, Loki and Simba were all still in the game. Also Drax, Lang, Nat and Gamora, of all people, were out.   So I decided that it would be fine if I took a nap in the warm sun. There was Bu-the Soldier who could probably see everything anyway and Loki had this in the bag. I pulled the pistol out of the back of my pants and hung the rifle up on the branch above me, stretching out on the wide limb of the tree. I tucked my arms under my head and just basked in the warmth of the sun.

 

***

 

The branch shaking under me had me aiming the paint pistol and firing before I was awake or even thinking. 

When I focused my eyes, I saw the Winter Soldier sitting on a branch across from me, in his black tac suit… covered in bright green paint splatter. He looked down at his chest and back up to me, raising an eyebrow in question. I tilted my head then fired again. 

He narrowed his eyes, but before he could say or do anything, there was laughter from the base of the tree and I looked down through the boughs to see Rocket laughing, the King of Wakanda trying to hide his amusement, Loki smirking and Mantis dancing around with a red flag in her hand. 

I looked to Loki and Rocket. “We won?” My voice was a little rusty from sleep, but I wasn't ashamed that I was caught sleeping on the job. I didn't really consider it a job, after all. Also, I shot the Widow… and the Soldier. I mean, he was on the same team, but I read his file, I think it counts. 

Loki hummed, “Yes, now that you’ve woken up from your leisurely nap,” he raised his brows at me. I just smiled sweetly at him. He looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, but had decided it was too demeaning, no matter the urge or satisfaction. “We may go back to the others to prepare for dinner.” 

I shrugged my shoulders. “Fine by me.” I grabbed the rifle down and slipped off the branch, to land lightly by the Panther who eyed me.

“I hear you shot Miss Romanoff.” It was more question than statement. 

“Uh-huh. Natashalie Rushmanoff was the only one that got close enough. Y’know, except...” I waved my hand at the now grounded, and grumpy looking, Winter Soldier.

“I’m on your team, and it was after we captured the flag. It doesn't count,” he grumbled. 

I rolled my eyes and focused on hearing the other teams for which direction to go, before walking. 

“Where are you going?” Mantis asked sweetly, waggling the flag in the air in a way that it snapped and made her smile. 

“All the other idiots are this way. I’m thinking I-” I felt a sharp pain, that quickly disappeared, on my right ass cheek. Blinking I looked around and saw a big green splatter on my butt.

Looking behind me I saw sparkling eyes and a smirking Buck- No. He wasn't fucking Bucky Barnes. He just looked like it. It was the Winter Soldier. He was smirking at me for shooting me in the ass. I gave him a dead stare and turned around and kept walking. Hearing him lift the rifle again, I called over my shoulder, “Shoot me again and I’ll shoot you in the crotch.” 

There was a pause and nothing further came of it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is the breakfast of champions!  
> If you like this, subscribe, and check me out on my socials for news on my upcoming novel “Once Upon A… What?” 
> 
>  
> 
> [www.KatherineHenshaw.com](https://www.katherinehenshaw.com)
> 
> Instagram - [@Kat_Henshaw](https://www.instagram.com/kat_henshaw/)
> 
> Twitter - [@Kat_Henshaw](https://twitter.com/Kat_Henshaw?s=09)
> 
> Facebook - [Katherine Henshaw Author](https://www.facebook.com/KatherineHenshawAuthor/)


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Debut novel “Once Upon A… What?” coming soon.  
> Subscribe to my website to be notified when it’s available.   
> Merch now available.   
> [www.KatherineHenshaw.com](https://www.katherinehenshaw.com)
> 
> I own nothing.  
> Thanks to [Livvy_Nicklaus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Livvy_Nicklaus/pseuds/Livvy_Nicklaus) for beta!  
> If you like this, check out my other fics, and my website for original content.

 

“You’re not supposed to shoot your own teammates,” Stranges voice was exasperated and it made me smirk. The Soldier and I weren't the only ones who had taken to shooting our team mates. Hulk had basically taken Rhodey, Quill and Strange and turned them into Jackson Pollock paintings. Tony was bent over laughing delightedly in Rhodies face while Wanda and Jane smuggly looked on. I raised a brow at Jane. She wiggled her fingers at me and I realised that she, and likely Wanda, had used their enhancements to protect themselves from whatever mess the Hulk had created.   
A spotless Sif stepped up next to me, the other side of me to Loki, and raised her eyebrows at me, her eyes flickering from my butt to the man in green and black leather. Were there green space cows perhaps? 

“Nah, Loki was brilliant. I got that from the Soldier. He thought he was being cute,” the sarcasm in my voice was heavy, if a little on the flat side.    
“That's because I  _ was _ being cute, Kitten,” came a gravelly voice behind me. I felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over my head. Sif’s narrowed eyes flicked to the super soldier, a threat in her stance that couldn't be mistaken.  (insert new para)

“Rocket is cute, Groot is cute. You, Barnes, are a scruffy hobo.” There was utter silence. So I turned my head to see his face over my shoulder and I nearly choked on my tongue laughing at the look of near betrayal that sat there. Loki draped an arm over my shoulder and lead me toward Jane, despite the way his muscles tensed and his eyes never left the Hulk. 

I wrapped an arm around his waist and steered him over to where Thor stood with the Valkyrie chick. 

“Brother! I see you have made friends with my lightning sister, Darcy!” Though there was a jovial smile on his face, there was also a look of wariness that didn't belong on the labrador face of his.  (insert new para)

“Sup Thor-Bro?” I reached a fist out for him to bump, noting the way Loki’s arm twitched over my shoulder. I guess that burning bridge has been mended to some degree. Maybe I could help Loki mend his epically fucked up marriage to Sif, even if they should just get a divorce, or whatever they have in space. Sif loved him still and he obviously couldn't take his eyes off her either. 

Thor, being Thor, reached past the fist and lifted me for a full bear hug, with matching spin around on the spot. “It has been too long, little  S ister.” 

“You have claimed this one as sister?” Loki asked eyeing me.

“Aye,” Thor's grin was big and dopey and made me wanna bake cookies for him again, despite the fact that it would piss Jane off. 

“Then I too claim her as  S ister,” Loki lifted his chin at me, as though expecting me to object and reject him. Sucks to be him, though. When I fist pumped the air and Thor began laughing, Loki began to look worried. 

“Don't worry about it, Brother, she is worth the trouble.” Thor's reassurance couldn't seem to wipe the worry from Loki’s face. 

“If you’re my new big bro, you need to teach me magic, like yesterday, Mischief.” I snapped my fingers at him and he took a step back.

“Lady Darcy,” Sif’s voice came from behind me, making Loki’s eyes become heart shaped like a goddamned emoji. 

“Yes Lady Sif?” I asked, my eyes never leaving Loki’s face.

“Please stop tormenting my Prince and King, they need to be at their peak to help defeat Thanos.” I pouted, something that Loki seemed surprised by.

“Lady Sif!” Thor bounded over and hugged the Aesir warrior, her smile warm and stiff arms going lax. 

“Greetings to you too, my Lord,” I didn't miss the way her eyes were locked with Loki’s the whole time. It looked like Loki had stopped breathing so I leaned against him, allowing him to come back to himself a little. 

“Nay, you cannot become so formal with me just because I now am King, I am still the boy who sparred with you when no one else would raise a weapon to a girl.” Thor eyed her, “it is far better to be on your good side than your vengeful side, Lady Sif. I have missed your friendship.” Sif rolled her eyes.

I felt Loki relax as Thor released Sif and her eyes were drawn away from the dark prince. 

“Do  _ any _ of you not understand the severity of this situation at all?” The viterol in Strange ’ s voice had the entire group stopping in their tracks and staring at the man whose rage was bubbling so close to the surface that he looked like  _ he _ was about to  H ulk out. 

“Exactly  _ one half  _  of the universe is about to become  _ dust _ if we don't work together!”  H is eyes cut to each of us with an intensity that was almost a physical touch. “Gamora, tossed off a cliff by Thanos for the Soul Stone, the first victim in this group.” Quill paled and Mantis gasped. Drax stood forward to say something but Strange went on. “ _ Half  _ the entire Asgardian survivors, slain, including Brunhilde and Heimdall. Loki, strangled in front of Thor, by Thanos’ s own hand.”

Thor scoffed, “He’s died plenty of times, I’m sure-” 

Strange cut him off. “This was no illusion. His corpse and the others were left to float in space for the rest of time.” Thor paled so quickly that he looked like he was about to faint. Sif too, but she had a hand on Thor still, and they seemed to be holding each other up.

“And the rest of you? With the exception of Lang, Dr. Foster, Lady Sif and Miss Lewis, who were too far away to do anything about the fight until they too were crumbling to dust with exception of Lang who is trapped in the quantum realm,” a strangled sound came from Thor, while Loki seemed like he was having a hard time breathing next to me. Lang gave a whispered, “Fuck.” 

Strange ignored everyones reactions and went on, “Fought ‘til the very end, first to protect Vision, who had the Mind Stone ripped from his head,” Wanda whimpered next to Jane, “then in an attempt to stop Thanos, but still failed. Most of you were turned to dust. All that was left was Thor, Rogers, Romanoff, Rocket, Stark and Nebula.”

An image of Buc- the Soldier crumbling to the ground in a pile of dust made me clench my teeth. He wasn’t Bucky. Bucky died in the Alps. Not just died but obliterated. He was gone and this, this  _ man _ simply wore his face. The likelihood of meeting my Bucky on the other side was slim because of it, too. No reunion with the man I love in this life or the next and it was that simple. 

Without conscious thought, my eyes found his which seemed to be slightly glassy. Probably upset that he’d be leaving his buddy behind to fight without him. I sucked a breath through my nose and stared back, making sure to note all the things different about this man to the one I had known. Scars, scruff and frown lines.

“Billions of lives, including your own and the ones you love, depend on you to get along, and yet you are all acting like a bunch of  _ children _ !” Strange was roaring now. It seemed out of place, like raising his voice was against his religion or something. But he certainly got his point across. It was certainly time to take this situation seriously. My emotions about what happened were only getting in the way. I needed to focus on why I was going to fight, and thankfully Strange had already given me the answer I needed.

 

***

 

“I don't think this is a good idea. I think this is a  _ bad _ idea. And you know me, I know all about bad ideas. This is the worst idea you’ve had since that time you tested out your electrical strength in the middle of the  A tlantic,” Tony’s voice was harried and slightly panicked and it was bothering me a little that he was getting so bent out of shape about something that wasn't going to cause anyone any physical pain.

I adjusted the specifications in the training slash memory room. “Tony  B oloney, I need you to shut it.  T here's a good chance we’re going to die against this Thanos dude, and if I’m going to go out, I need a reminder of my good goddamn reason that I’m even here.” 

“I thought you said you’d never come in here again, even if it were to save your life.” His petulance was nearly endearing. Nearly.

“This isn't to save my life, Tony, this is about me being a part of this fight. This is about me possibly sacrificing myself for the-” I cringed, “Greater good. Oh god I sound just like the masthead.” 

Sif laughed while Jane and Tony snorted. 

“So what exactly are you trying to accomplish here?” Janes serious, yet quiet voice interrupted the light mood. 

I sighed, “There's some things you don't yet know, Janey, and it's not that I didn't trust you to tell you-” 

“It's that you were trying to keep your darkness away from me. I know.” I stared at the other woman, not really knowing how to respond or if I could.  H ow did I get so lucky that I was able to earn the friendship of such an amazing person?

Swallowing, I went back to typing into the computer, making it so that I could have the conditions just right. When I felt that my heart wasn't in my throat anymore, I prepared myself to have it jump back up in a moment. 

“I need a photo of Lily,” I whispered. 

“Doctor Strange said that name on the first day. He said, ‘do it for all the Lily’s that could’ and you instantly gave in,” Jane's voice was soft and yet it still felt like knives. “Who was the Lily that couldn't?” A sob escaped me without warning. My fingers had paused over the keyboard and they tingled too much to move them. Not from electrical current but from how intense the emotions were.

I felt Sif step forward and place a hand on my shoulder. “Lily was Vivian’s daughter. She died mere hours after she was born.”

“Four hours and seventeen minutes,” rasped past my lips.

“... and you are Vivian?” Jane's voice was still soft and still painful. I nodded, my eyes on the HUD glasses that would access my memories, still clear all these years later. 

“Why did she die?” The words fell into the room like rocks. 

I clenched my eyes shut and willed the tears away. “The same reason I died. Premature childbirth.”   
In the silence that followed I took a deep cleansing breath, placed the glasses on and hit enter. We watched as the training room undulated and swiftly took the shape of a staircase landing from a long ago english townhouse. 

There, sprawled on the landing before the grandfather clock, lay a bloodied copy of myself clutching an equally bloodied bundle to her chest.   
“You can do it my tiny angel, just hold on my love. Someone will come. You’ll see. Your Papa will change his mind when he sees your beautiful face. Your Uncle Howie will spoil you rot-” I hit the mute button, no longer able to stomach my own pleas for my daughter to live.  I ignored Jane’s gasp and the tightening of Sif’s hand on my shoulder. My eyes flicked to the time on the grandfather clock above my bloodied self. Three minutes before Lily died. 

Taking a cleansing breath, I hit pause and slowly wound the time back to a moment when the rendered me was smiling down at Lily, and Lily’s eyes had focused on me for the last time. “FRIDAY, can you please remove all the blood?”

“Of course, Miss.” I watched as Lily’s face became more clear to me without all the blood maring her features. She looked so much like Bucky.

I heard the door open and close, and ignored it, knowing that Tony wouldn't have let anyone in that wasn't wanted. I reached out to the holographic controls and turned the room in such a way that I was able to see what angle would be best for the photo. That is until I felt Tony’s hands gently pull mine down and force a tissue into them. I’d been silently crying and wasn't able to see what I was doing clearly because of it. After I wiped my face, watching absently as Tony adjusted the angle of the nano tech training room, I saw that Jane wasn't in the room anymore. I shot a questioning glance to Tony, who shrugged. “I think she left to go vomit.”

I sniffled back some tears and looked everywhere other than Sif and Tony. The sound of the printer spitting out a small collection of thick papers had us turning to look down at the glossy images. I took the HUD glasses off and handed them to Tony.

The lighting had been adjusted so that the old electric night time lighting was replaced with a brighter, daytime glow. Lily’s little button nose and pale newborn blue eyes were clear to see, while I remembered that it was more of a struggle to keep my eyes open and focus at the time. 

Each photo was a part of a whole collection. One of Lily, one of me, one of the two of us from different angles. I blinked at Tony as he pocketed a couple of the images, he pointedly avoided eye contact and shoved the rest of the pile into my hands.

Sif gently picked the top image off the stack and gazed down at the last lucid moment of my daughters life, a warmth and longing in her eyes that had me wrapping my arm around her waist. She was just taller and I could do that. Her eyes flickered to me a moment before looking back at the image of the premature baby.  (insert new para)

“Four hours and seventeen minutes was too long for Valhalla to be without her, I think. We shall fight and should we fall, we shall see her again.” 

Before I could sob a thanks to her, an awkward wheezing sound erupted from Tony. Then before we could figure out what the hell it was, he scampered out of the room stuttering incoherently and waving his hands over his shoulder. 

Sif and I snorted wetly at his retreating back and slowly made our way back to the communal area. 

Potts had shown up after we arrived back at the facility, giving enough distraction for literally everyone else who had taken my grievances with the woman as their own. I decided that they could have her. I had only so much emotional bandwidth to deal with, and it was all on the Soldier and Lily. I needed to get my head in the game and get ready to fight for the Lily’s that could.    
Sif and I found the common lounging area was filled with dozens of ‘heros’ and enough tension to split the universe at the seems. I couldn't help myself, but I couldn't deal with everyone's bullshit right now. I had fresh memories of my baby sitting in my pocket and it was burning me in ways that might result in actual fire.

I turned around and headed for my suite. I didn't need to become best buddies with these people to save all the Lily’s that could. I could fight and be civil without finding out Brunhilde’s mothers name or learn sign language for Clint ’ s sake.   
“Honey,” I heard from behind me, I rolled my eyes and ignored it. “ _ Honey _ , Stop!” I stopped in my tracks and pivoted on my toes to stare down the Soldier. He gave a weak smile but the sound of grunting distracted me. 

Blinking I turned to the door the sound was coming from, strode over and flung it open.

“I tried to tell ya, Doll…”  T he quiet words were unable to be heard over the nakedness of Jane and Thor fucking in a closet like their lives depended on it. 

“I thought you were done with him,” I say casually. The two semi naked beings in the tight space have no attention to spare outside their weird focused boning. It looked much like make up sex to me. I spared a glance at Thor's delicious flexing glutes before I was hauled away and the door closed by a metal hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is the breakfast of champions!  
> If you like this, subscribe, and check me out on my socials for bookish merch and news on my upcoming novel “Once Upon A… What?” 
> 
>  
> 
> [www.KatherineHenshaw.com](https://www.katherinehenshaw.com)
> 
> Instagram - [@Kat_Henshaw](https://www.instagram.com/kat_henshaw/)
> 
> Twitter - [@Kat_Henshaw](https://twitter.com/Kat_Henshaw?s=09)
> 
> Facebook - [Katherine Henshaw Author](https://www.facebook.com/KatherineHenshawAuthor/)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Debut novel “Once Upon A… What?” available 29th Jan, 2019!  
> Subscribe to my website to be notified when it’s available.   
> Merch now available.   
> [www.KatherineHenshaw.com](https://www.katherinehenshaw.com)

*looks around*

Psst!

 

yeah you! 

 

 

hope you don't mind about the shady corner of Ao3, but I need to tell you something horrible...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
This story is *looks around once again* *whispers* currently on Hiatus.  
  
  
  


 

 

 

*nods knowingly* I know. I heard the author has a book launch or some nonsense. 

 

 

*shakes head* its always the good ones that go on Hiatus... 

 

 

 

 

*snorts* yeah, except _that_ one should have gone on Hiatus sooner, if y'know what I mean?

 

 

*looks around* Look I gotta go, but keep y'nose clean, kid... don't want no Ao3 fuzz to come take you away. 

 

*saunters off* *shouts over shoulder* Enjoy the holidays!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [www.KatherineHenshaw.com](https://www.katherinehenshaw.com)
> 
> Instagram - [@Kat_Henshaw](https://www.instagram.com/kat_henshaw/)
> 
> Twitter - [@Kat_Henshaw](https://twitter.com/Kat_Henshaw?s=09)
> 
> Facebook - [Katherine](https://www.facebook.com/KatherineHenshawAuthor/)


End file.
